Students’ perspectives on categories of difference in physical education: Results of a quantitative questionnaire survey in secondary level 1

Abstract

The article deals with the fundamental question which categories of difference are particularly relevant for participation in physical education from students’ perspective. To this end, the state of research on inclusion and heterogeneity in physical education is examined, categories of difference are deduced from the literature and, building on this, empirical findings from a questionnaire survey with N = 2546 students from grades seven to nine are presented. Focus is placed on 23 items generated from the literature, which refer to categories of difference and which were evaluated by the students using a 5-point scale with regard to their significance for physical education. From the data analyzed by means of cluster analysis and Chi2 tests, three student clusters are identified, which differ in their perception and relevance of categories of difference in physical education. In addition, differences in the cluster composition become apparent, which are related to different socio-structural characteristics of the students (age/grade level, gender, special needs), the school framework conditions (type of school, school class, type of schooling, school programme) and the experiences of the physical education teachers (participation in further training). The findings provide starting points for the concrete implementation of inclusion in school and physical education (e.g. with regard to the orientation of the school programme, participation in further training) and for further research (e.g. with regard to students with special needs).