Sociodemographic Predictors of Self-Efficacy Toward the Inclusion of Students With Different Disabilities Among Portuguese Physical Education Teachers.

Abstract

Physical education (PE) teachers' self-efficacy to successfully include students with disabilities is a key factor in inclusive educational settings. This cross-sectional study examined Portuguese PE teachers' self-efficacy for including students with intellectual disability, physical disability, and visual impairment using the Self-Efficacy Scale for Physical Education toward Children with Disabilities. The sample comprised 1,073 Portuguese in-service PE teachers (56.9% male, 43.1% female, and 0.3% another gender). Group differences were examined using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and predictors of self-efficacy were identified through stepwise multiple regression analyses. Significant differences were found according to gender, age, geographic region, academic qualifications, adapted physical education training, and previous contact with people/students with disabilities. Adapted physical education training and previous contact with students/people with disabilities emerged as the strongest predictors across self-efficacy subscales. The regression models explained 4.2%-11.3% of the variance; although statistically significant, these predictors account for a modest proportion of variance, consistent with the context-specific nature of self-efficacy beliefs. These findings have implications for teacher education and professional development initiatives aimed at strengthening inclusive PE practice.