| The purpose of this study was to examine physical education teacher-training programs in North Carolina relative to the Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS), and to document the perceptions of regular physical education teachers regarding their ability to provide services to students with disabilities. As the numbers of children with disabilities is increasing in the public schools, the traditional type of undergraduate training has remained the same for more than 25 years. This study had two research questions. One, what are the areas of emphasis in the preservice physical education teacher-training programs, as measured by the APENS, in terms of required course syllabi and course objectives within North Carolina colleges and universities, producing 75% of the physical educators annually? Two, do the colleges and universities that demonstrate a high percentage match with the APENS produce physical education teachers with positive perceptions of their abilities to provide services for students with disabilities? A matrix, based on NASPE/NCATE accreditation guidelines and scoring was developed to review the undergraduate physical education teacher-training curriculum. A survey measuring perceived ability to provide adapted physical education was mailed to 209 physical education alumni from six universities. Seventy-three of the surveys were returned from subjects ranging in age from 24–50 years (mean 30.2 years), with 1–3 years teaching experience. A median split dividing the universities into a high vs. low percentage match of APENS with course requirements revealed no significant differences. Given a large discrepancy in sample sizes based on a median split, and wide range of percentage match scores, a Post Hoc analysis was carried out. A three by three design was utilized with the universities divided into three groups; high, medium, and low, relative to percentage match scores and grade level taught (elementary, middle, high). No significant differences were found for the variables individual education program (IEP), adapting/modification curriculum/equipment (ADAPT), assistive technology/support personnel (ASSIST), and administrative support (ADMIN). However, for the present level of performance (PLP), there was a significant difference at the .01 level, with middle school teachers having the most difficulty determining how to assess PLP for students with disabilities. |
