Assessment of students with disabilities in physical education: a quantitative research on students in upper secondary schools in Norway

Abstract

The purpose of this master thesis was to write a research article concerning assessment of students with a disability in physical education. Part I in this thesis is the supplementary theory and method being used, and part II is the research article. The main goal for this master thesis was to understand how students with a disability were assessed, and how they perceive the assessment process in physical education. It was also of interest to find out if there were differences between the assessments related to students with a disability and for those without a disability. It is based in a Norwegian context, were there is political support to front inclusion in a comprehensive school. Despite this political support for inclusion, little research has examined how teachers attempt to assess students with a disability. The research question for the article was: How do students with a disability report the assessment in physical education, and are there any differences between student with and without a disability concerning this? The research question was answered through an analysis of the responses given to a major questionnaire concerning assessment in physical education. In order to answer the research question, there were developed seven independent sum-variables as a tool to present the empirical results. The variables were knowledge concerning the competence aims, knowledge about the assessment criteria, engaging students in assessment for learning, feedback, perceived justice, self-reported movement during the lessons and marks in physical education. The results showed differences between students with and without disability on how they perceive the assessment. These differences confirm that teachers do not assess all students in the same way, and that teachers seem unfamiliar with how to assess students with a disability. Students with a disability have less knowledge about the assessment criteria, they get less feedback, perceive the assessment as less fair, move less during lessons, and get lower marks than students without a disability. The results show a difference between students with and without a disability, and students with a disability feel less satisfied with the assessment than those without a disability.