When properly “organized, taught, resourced, and practice”, participation in physical education (PE), physical activity, and sport can be beneficial to quality of life, health, and well-being; yet, PE teachers generally lack confidence and do not feel prepared to teach inclusive PE. As a result, students with disabilities often find themselves in disjointed, non-participatory PE classes that undermine the right to a full educational experience. Training in PE has been shown to influence skills, knowledge, and attitudes towards inclusive PE, and attitudes towards inclusion strongly predict intention to include students with disabilities in PE. However, literature to date has generally focused on the perspectives of in-service teachers, and research on preservice teachers has primarily focused on teacher training programs. Preservice teachers have different educational and experiential backgrounds, resulting in mixed feelings towards inclusion.

The overarching purpose of this research is to develop new insights concerning preservice attitudes towards and perceptions of inclusive PE.