In-service training of physical teachers for the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities: a collaborative research

Abstract

This paper describes the results of collaborative research that aims to analyze a training process in-service of physical education (PE) teachers from elementary school - 6th to 9th graders, focused on the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities (ID) in a school from public education in the state of Paraná. This process was based on the inclusive education (IE) perspective and in the adapted physical education (APE). The participants were four physical education teachers whose students were diagnosed with intellectual disabilities. The research method was collaborative and was developed in three phases: phase I - data collection about the necessities from the academic qualification; phase II - collaborative intervention process and phase III - final evaluation. The data highlighted that the participants needed academic qualifications to include students with ID, and the data also presented mistaken perceptions about IE and ID. The academic qualification process was taken based on theoretical studies cycles, reflexive sections about pedagogical practice, class planning, and the researcher's participation in the classroom context. The results were observed that the teachers became more capable to work together with their students with ID, and the teachers started to offer more teaching support to the students. The teachers also put into practice their theoretical knowledge and they improved the inclusion process of the students with ID.