This study investigates physical education (PE) teachers’ perceptions of including students with physical disabilities in mainstream PE settings (i.e., general education environments serving both typically developing students and those with disabilities) in Saudi Arabia. A qualitative research design was adopted to examine the current perspectives of PE teachers, addressing context-specific interpretations of inclusion and the conditions that influence its implementation in mainstream schools. Data were collected using individual semi-structured interviews conducted with PE teachers (n = 8) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The interview protocol consisted of 18 open-ended questions distributed across five domains: (1) teachers’ perceptions and professional preparedness, (2) institutional policies, facilities, and curriculum adaptations, (3) experiences with students with PD and peer interactions, (4) parental and socio-cultural influences on inclusive PE, and (5) teachers’ recommendations for strengthening inclusive PE. Thematic analysis of the individual semi-structured interviews suggests that Saudi Arabian PE teachers generally support inclusive education and acknowledge its benefits for students with disabilities, particularly in fostering social participation and equitable access to learning. Importantly, these outcomes do not appear to be substantially influenced by teacher sex; rather, they seem to be systemic features of the broader Saudi Arabian educational environment. The present study contributes to the growing literature on inclusive physical education by examining the current perspective of physical educators and identifying how professional training, awareness of inclusive policies, and school-level conditions influence their capacity to implement inclusive PE practices.
Ashalawi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.