An Examination of the Levels of Social Acceptance of Inclusive Education Among Physical Education Teachers Who Have Completed Pedagogical Formation Education

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the inclusive education knowledge levels and social acceptance competencies of physical education teacher candidates undergoing pedagogical formation candidates in terms of various variables. The study group consisted of a total of 300 teacher formation candidates, 164 (54.7%) male and 136 (45.3%) female, who graduated from sports science faculties or physical education and sports colleges of universities and were undergoing pedagogical formation candidates. The Teacher Social Acceptance Scale was used as a data collection tool in the research. Mann-Whitney U test was applied for pairwise group comparisons and Kruskal-Wallis test for comparisons of more than two groups in the analysis of the data. In conclusion, no statistically significant differences were found in the parameters of gender, special education course participation, inclusive education, in-service training, practical experience, and department of graduation. It is considered that the similar and high levels of social acceptance observed across all groups stem from the increased awareness of people with disabilities in recent years in educational settings, the media, social life, and global achievements in Paralympic sports. Furthermore, it can be said that the increasing prevalence of awareness-raising events organized by government agencies and civil society organizations, as well as in-service training programs for teachers, has had a positive impact on participants’ perceptions of inclusive education. In this regard, to ensure that the high level of social acceptance demonstrated by prospective teachers is successfully translated into professional practice, it is recommended that the practical components of pedagogical training and teacher education curricula be developed and sustained in accordance with the inclusive education model.