Physical education teachers' attitudes towards children with intellectual disability: the impact of time in service, gender, and previous acquaintance.
Years on the job and personal familiarity with ID—not gender or current students—shape PE teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers asked 729 Turkish PE teachers how they feel about students with intellectual disability. They used a paper survey with questions about experience, gender, and personal contact.
The team wanted to know if years on the job, being male or female, or having a friend with ID changes teacher attitudes.
What they found
Teachers who had worked longer and those who knew someone with ID held warmer views. Gender and the number of ID students on their roster made no difference.
The study shows familiarity beats demographics.
How this fits with other research
Agiovlasitis et al. (2025) asked the same questions to Chilean mental-health staff and got the same answer: personal contact predicts positive views. Their work extends the 2013 finding beyond gym class to clinics.
Adams et al. (2021) surveyed US healthcare workers and again found daily contact, not workshops, builds comfort with ID patients. The pattern holds across countries and jobs.
Older GP surveys (A et al. 2004; S et al. 2000) saw doctors feel under-prepared, but they never tested acquaintance. The PE-teacher study adds the missing link: knowing people with ID outside work hours matters most.
Why it matters
Before you write another inservice, schedule real contact. Pair PE staff with peer buddies who have ID for a season, or invite athletes with ID to after-school practice. One genuine friendship can shift attitudes more than a slideshow on disability awareness.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: This study investigated attitudes towards teaching students with intellectual disability (ID) within a representative sample of secondary school physical education (PE) teachers, and to determine the effects of age, gender, teaching experience, and having acquaintance with ID and students with ID on their attitudes. METHODS: Participants were 729 secondary school PE teachers who worked in 81 major cities of Turkey. The Teachers Attitudes towards Children with Intellectual Disability Scale was administered. RESULTS: The statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant effect on factors and total attitudes scores of gender and having students with ID. Significant effects on factors and total attitudes score were found in teaching experiences and having acquaintance with ID. CONCLUSIONS: It is encouraged to maintain and further develop in-service education programmes of adapted physical activity for PE teachers.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2013 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01596.x