Yes, I have a disability. Does it prevent me from being a PE teacher? A qualitative approach from the point of view of future PE teachers and their families

Abstract

Physical Education (PE) teachers are subject to a great deal of social stereotyping. The goal of the study is to analyze the main reasons and motivations of three future PE teachers (two females and one male) with motor disabilities to undertake the profession in the future. Their families and the teachers who have taught them also participate. The disabilities are an arm amputation, severe hip dysmetry and Tourette’s syndrome. These future teachers, under a reflective perspective, expose the reasons and motivations why they want to be PE teachers, specifying diversity of experiences in the past and how they would like to teach the subject in the future. The introduction discusses whether disability fits into the ideal body type of PE, delving into the theories of social identity [Tajfel & Turner, Citation1979. An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Brooks- Cole] and social desirability (Paulhus, Citation2002). A qualitative approach is used in which three categories (established prior to obtaining the results) of analysis are established: (a) Motivations for being a PE teacher; (b) Limitations and obstacles exercised by society; and (c) Professional identity and conception of PE. Interviews with participants and their families, narrative journals and discussion groups are the data collection instruments used. The results show how, despite the fact that the motivation of future teachers is high (want to be physical education teachers above any other profession), the social constraints they face in order to achieve their dream are diverse. These obstacles are manifested in derogatory comments and lack of infrastructure and adapted material to be able to practice. Families and teachers agree that there is still a long way to go to achieve inclusion, especially in the area of PE. This inclusion refers to the acceptance into the subject of all students, regardless of their physical and psychological characteristics. It is essential to continue researching about disability and PE, since it allows breaking down a variety of existing barriers about the beliefs that people with disabilities have about the limitations of teaching the subject.