Abstract

Background: Inclusive physical education (PE) is proclaimed as a rights-based and social-justice imperative but mainstream placement alone does not necessarily guarantee meaningful inclusion. The central issue is an inclusion enactment gap between the intentions expressed in policy or by teachers and the lived experience of learners. Methods: A critical integrative review of the diverse empirical, theoretical, and review literature relevant to inclusive physical education in schools was carried out. Three related questions concerning learner outcomes, mechanism of inclusion or exclusion, and power or intersectional conditions were used to interpret the synthesis, which was structured around six conceptual families. The review is offered as a theory building synthesis rather than an exhaustive account of the field because it was not founded on a preregistered or fully audited systematic search process. Results: Access, meaningful engagement, agency, belonging, and learning and flourishing were found to represent five analytically distinct learner outcomes. Teachers, pedagogy, peers, and system/context are the four interacting domains that determine these outcomes, while intersectionality and power function across all domains. The synthesis draws attention to persistent conflicts between learner-deficit explanations, structurally constrained teacher adaptation, inconsistent evidence supporting strategies such as Universal Design for Learning, and insufficient attention to student voice. Conclusion: The proposed Inclusion-Enactment Framework re-conceptualises inclusive PE as an outcome-mechanism-context problem, as opposed to a placement status. It is a diagnostic and hypothesis generating model and not a validated measurement instrument. Future research should focus on the learner experience, the mechanisms of change, intersectional designs, inclusive assessment, school-level implementation, long-term outcomes and greater geographical diversity.

Keywords

Inclusive Physical Education, Meaningful Inclusion, Belonging, Agency, Intersectionality, Inclusive Pedagogy,

References

  1. Abel, L., Galle, A.C., Ziehmann, L., Vogt, T. (2024). Students’ perspectives on racism and anti-racism in physical education: A systematic review. Frontiers in Sociology, 9, 1374277.
  2. Berg, P., Kokkonen, M. (2022). Heteronormativity meets queering in physical education: The views of PE teachers and LGBTIQ+ students. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 27(4), 368–381.
  3. Brazier, R., Fitzgerald, H., Stride, A. (2025). ‘There’s nothing wrong with me’: Experiencing physical education at the intersections of disability, ethnicity and gender. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 1–13.
  4. Brunsdon, J.J. (2025). Human flourishing as the aim of physical education? Quest, 77(1), 79–100.
  5. Brunssen, L., Haase, R.K., Kastrup, V. (2025). Encouraging inclusion of students with social, emotional, and mental health needs in physical education: A systematic review. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research.
  6. Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 8.
  7. Derbyshire, A., Lee, S., Cordova, S., Crocker, G., Zuest, L. (2024). Introducing a weight-inclusive paradigm in sport and physical education. Strategies, 37(3), 44–48.
  8. Dixon, K., Braye, S., Gibbons, T. (2022). Still outsiders: The inclusion of disabled children and young people in physical education in England. Disability & Society, 37(10), 1549–1567.
  9. Durden-Myers, E.J., Whitehead, M.E., Pot, N. (2018). Physical literacy and human flourishing. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 37(3), 308–311.
  10. Flintoff, A., Dowling, F. (2019). ‘I just treat them all the same, really’: Teachers, whiteness and (anti)racism in physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 24(2), 121–133.
  11. Florian, L. (2014). What counts as evidence of inclusive education? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 29(3), 286–294.
  12. Gerdin, G., Lundin, K., Philpot, R., Berg, E., Mooney, A., Kitching, A., Alfrey, L., Schenker, K., Linnér, S. (2025). Despite good intentions: The elusiveness of social justice in health and physical education curricula across different contexts. European Physical Education Review, 31(1), 109–128.
  13. Grogan, C., McFlynn, P., O’Connor Bones, U., Marlow, N. (2026). Perceptions and experiences on the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in post-primary physical education: A scoping review. Educational Review, 1–21.
  14. Haegele, J.A. (2019). Inclusion illusion: Questioning the inclusiveness of integrated physical education. Quest, 71(4), 387–397.
  15. Haegele, J.A., Holland, S.K., Wilson, W.J., Maher, A.J., Kirk, T.N., Mason, A. (2024). Universal design for learning in physical education: Overview and critical reflection. European Physical Education Review, 30(2), 250–264.
  16. Haegele, J.A., Zhu, X., Davis, S. (2018). Barriers and facilitators of physical education participation for students with disabilities: An exploratory study. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(2), 130–141.
  17. Hawes, O., Cook, E.J., Williams, J., Chater, A.M. (2026). The spinner model for flourishing through movement: A conceptual framework for exploring the interplay between physical literacy, meaningful physical activity, embodiment, and human flourishing. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 8, 1819295.
  18. Iannucci, C., Parker, M. (2022). Beyond lip service: Making student voice a meaningful reality in elementary physical education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 93(8), 41–49.
  19. Juvonen, J., Lessard, L.M., Rastogi, R., Schacter, H.L., Smith, D.S. (2019). Promoting social inclusion in educational settings: Challenges and opportunities. Educational Psychologist, 54(4), 250–270.
  20. Karamani, M., Makopoulou, K., Mansfield, S., Herold, F. (2026). The complex journey towards the enactment of inclusion in physical education: A scoping review of the literature on teachers’ perceptions and practices. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 31(4), 548–570.
  21. Lleixà, T., Nieva, C. (2020). The social inclusion of immigrant girls in and through physical education: Perceptions and decisions of physical education teachers. Sport, Education and Society, 25(2), 185–198.
  22. Lourenço, C., Ben Rakaa, O., Bassiri, M., Lotfi, S. (2025). Unravelling the impact of Universal Design for Learning on the inclusion of students with disabilities in physical education: A systematic review. Physical Education Theory and Methodology, 25(3), 691–704.
  23. Marcos-Rivero, B., Ortuondo, J., Haegele, J.A., Reina, R., Ascondo, J., Becerril-Atxikallende, I., Yanci, J. (2026). Impact of inclusive education training programmes on in-service and preservice physical education teachers: A systematic review. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 1-21.
  24. Mihajlovic, C., Giese, M. (2026). Lived experiences of students with intellectual disabilities in integrated physical education in Germany. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 1-11.
  25. O’Connor, U., McNabb, J. (2021). Improving the participation of students with special educational needs in mainstream physical education classes: A rights-based perspective. Educational Studies, 47(5), 574–590.
  26. Penney, D., Jeanes, R., O’Connor, J., Alfrey, L. (2018). Re-theorising inclusion and reframing inclusive practice in physical education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(10), 1062–1077.
  27. Pocock, T., Miyahara, M. (2018). Inclusion of students with disability in physical education: A qualitative meta-analysis. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(7), 751–766.
  28. Qi, J., Ha, A.S. (2012). Inclusion in physical education: A review of literature. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 59(3), 257–281.
  29. Rekaa, H., Hanisch, H., Ytterhus, B. (2019). Inclusion in physical education: Teacher attitudes and student experiences. A systematic review. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 66(1), 36–55.
  30. Şahin, A., Karakaya, Y.E. (2026). ‘I want to play too’: Exploring the experiences of students with disabilities in inclusive physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 1-16.
  31. Slee, R., Allan, J. (2001). Excluding the included: A reconsideration of inclusive education. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 11(2), 173–192.
  32. Tarantino, G., Makopoulou, K., Neville, R.D. (2022). Inclusion of children with special educational needs and disabilities in physical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis of teachers’ attitudes. Educational Research Review, 36, 100456.
  33. UNESCO. (2017). A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education. UNESCO.
  34. UNESCO. (2020). Global education monitoring report 2020: Inclusion and education: All means all. UNESCO.