Principals’ attitudes and intentions toward supporting adapted physical education

Abstract

Public school administrators in the United States are required to supervise special education services, which include physical education and adapted physical education (APE). Although school administrators supervise and provide resources to support APE services, APE teachers have indicated that school administrators often interfere with their day-to-day practices and instruction. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine school administrators’ beliefs, attitudes, and intentions toward supporting APE within their school. Using a qualitative description approach, guided by the theory of planned behavior, nine building principals from California were interviewed about their perceptions and past experiences with APE. A thematic analysis enabled the authors to construct three interconnected themes: (1) APE teachers and services are valued, yet not prioritized, (2) stakeholders’ support of APE can impact principals’ attitudes and support of APE; yet, many remain indifferent regarding support of APE, and (3) lack of knowledge, resources, and funding prevents principals from providing adequate support to APE services and teachers. These findings emphasize both the support and barriers building principals often contribute to APE teachers’ service delivery. Additionally, these findings highlight the important role administrators have in supporting APE teachers and creating a culture where APE services and teachers are valued. Future research designed to improve attitudes among school administrators toward APE is necessary. Moreover, to provide essential resources for effective APE service delivery, systematic and theoretically driven interventions that link knowledge to fill the APE knowledge gap among school administrators are warranted.