TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING THROUGH SERVICE: PRE-SERVICE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ ENGAGEMENT WITH STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Öz

This study aims to examine the experiences of students from a physical education and sports teaching department during their sportive interactions with individuals with special needs. Thirty participants from a physical education and sports teaching program in Turkey planned and implemented physical activity sessions in small groups at four special education institutions. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective journals, then analyzed thematically. Three core themes emerged: (1) Developing Social Awareness and Empathy, highlighting PSTs’ critical reflections on special needs and inclusion; (2) Personal Development, encompassing growth in patience, empathy, and self-confidence; and (3) Professional Development, focusing on enhanced pedagogical skills, classroom management, and adaptive instruction. Findings suggest that structured service-learning experiences fostered critical reflection and challenged previously held assumptions about individuals with special needs.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Service-learning
• Pre-service teacher education
• Transformative learning
• Special needs and pedagogy

HİZMET YOLUYLA DÖNÜŞTÜRÜCÜ ÖĞRENME: HİZMET ÖNCESİ BEDEN EĞİTİMİ ÖĞRETMENLERİNİN ÖZEL İHTİYAÇLARI OLAN ÖĞRENCİLERLE ETKİLEŞİMİ

Öz

Bu çalışma, beden eğitimi ve spor öğretmenliği bölümündeki öğrencilerin özel gereksinimli bireylerle sportif etkileşimleri sırasındaki deneyimlerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Türkiye'de bir beden eğitimi ve spor öğretmenliği programından otuz katılımcı, dört özel eğitim kurumunda küçük gruplar halinde fiziksel aktivite seansları planlayıp uygulamıştır. Veriler yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler ve yansıtıcı günlükler aracılığıyla toplanmış ve ardından tematik olarak analiz edilmiştir. Üç temel tema ortaya çıkmıştır: (1) Öğretmen adaylarının özel gereksinimler ve kaynaştırma konusundaki eleştirel düşüncelerini vurgulayan Sosyal Farkındalık ve Empati Geliştirme; (2) Sabır, empati ve özgüven gelişimini kapsayan Kişisel Gelişim; ve (3) Gelişmiş pedagojik beceriler, sınıf yönetimi ve uyarlanabilir öğretime odaklanan Mesleki Gelişim. Bulgular, yapılandırılmış hizmet-öğrenme deneyimlerinin eleştirel düşünmeyi teşvik ettiğini ve özel gereksinimli bireyler hakkında önceden edinilmiş varsayımları sorguladığını göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Hizmet-öğrenme
• Hizmet öncesi öğretmen eğitimi
• Dönüştürücü öğrenme
• Özel gereksinimler ve pedagoji

Kaynakça

1. 1. UNESCO (2017). A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://doi.org/10.54675/MHHZ2237
2. 2. Forlin C. (2010). Teacher education for inclusion. In Confronting obstacles to inclusion (pp. 173-188). Routledge.
3. 3. Alam N., Bhattacharjee A., Das A. (2024). Adaptive and Inclusive Physical Education for Students with Special Needs. International Journal of Social Impact. 9(1), 12–20.
4. 4. Haegele J. A., Sutherland S. (2015). Perspectives of students with disabilities toward physical education: A qualitative inquiry review. Quest, 67(3), 255–273.10.1080/00336297.2015.1050118.
5. 5. Fitzgerald H., Stride A. (2012). Stories about physical education from young people with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. 59(3), 283-293.
6. 6. Vickerman P., Coates J. K. (2009). Trainee and recently qualified physical education teachers' perspectives on including children with special educational needs. Physical Education And Sport Pedagogy. 14(2), 137-153.
7. 7. Morley D., Bailey R., Tan J., Cooke B. (2005). Inclusive physical education: Teachers’ views of including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in physical education. European Physical Education Review. 11(1), 84-107
8. 8. Hodge SR., Haegele J., Gutierres FP., Rizzi LG. (2018). Brazilian physical education teachers’ beliefs about teaching students with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. 65(4), 408-427.

9. 9. Morley D., Banks T., Haslingden C., Kirk B., Parkinson S., Van RT., Morley I. Maher A. (2021). Including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in mainstream secondary physical education: A revisit study. European Physical Education Review. 27(2), 401-418.
10. 10. An J. (2021). Learning to teach students with disabilities through community service-learning: Physical education preservice teachers’ experiences. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. 68(3), 442-455.
11. 11. Woodruff E. A., Sinelnikov OA. (2015). Teaching young adults with disabilities through service learning. European Physical Education Review. 21(3), 292-308.
12. 12. Grimminger-Seidensticker E., Seyda M. (2022). Enhancing attitudes and self-efficacy toward inclusive teaching in physical education pre-service teachers: Results of a quasi-experimental study in physical education teacher education. Frontiers in Education.
13. 13. Mezirow J. (2000). Learning as Transformation: Critical Perspectives on a Theory in Progress. The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series. ERIC.
14. 14. Simsek A. (2012). Transformational Learning. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_373
15. 15. Mezirow J. (1994). Understanding transformation theory. Adult education quarterly, 44(4), 222-232.
16. 16. Yin RK. (2013). Validity and generalization in future case study evaluations. Evaluation, 19(3), 321-332.
17. 17. Braun V., Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide.
18. 18. Doyle S. (2007). Member checking with older women: A framework for negotiating meaning. Health care for women international, 28(10), 888-908.
19. 19. Janesick VJ. (2007). Peer debriefing. The Blackwell encyclopedia of sociology.
20. 20. Sandford R., Beckett, A., Giulianotti, R. (2022). Sport, disability and (inclusive) education: critical insights and understandings from the Playdagogy programme. Sport, Education and Society. 27(2), 150-166.
21. 21. Tindall D., MacDonald, W Carroll, E MB. (2015). Pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards children with disabilities: An Irish perspective. European physical education review. 21(2), 206-221.
22. 22. Rust R., Sinelnikov O. (2010). Practicum in a self-contained environment: Pre-service teacher perceptions of teaching students with disabilities. Physical Educator. 67(1), 33.
23. 23. Jobling A., Moni KB. (2004). ‘I never imagined I’d have to teach these children’: providing authentic learning experiences for secondary pre‐service teachers in teaching students with special needs. Asia‐Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. 32(1), 5-22.