Exploring physical education teachers' perspectives on inclusive education in Bandung, Indonesia

This study aims to examine the perspectives of physical education (PE) teachers on teaching students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Indonesia's vast diversity, comprising numerous islands, local languages, cultures, religions and ethnicities, poses significant challenges to achieving inclusiveness in education. This diversity presents a crucial challenge for the role of inclusive education within the country. The participants were 16 PE teachers from several schools in Bandung, Indonesia. The study employed an adaptation theory framework with the lens of a social justice perspective and a qualitative research methodology. Primary data were gathered through semi-structured and in-depth interviews. The results indicated two themes that influenced teachers' perspectives: (1) Regulation: The current changing regulation created confusion among PE teachers, as they did not receive training on the changes. (2) Local wisdom: PE teachers held beliefs rooted in their local culture for teaching students with disabilities. To bridge the gap between the regulations and local wisdom, there is a role of community that facilitated discussions among PE teachers and enabled the sharing of experiences in teaching students with disabilities.