About Facilitating School-Based Physical Activity for Children in Need of Special Support

International policy documents (e.g., the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) provide an important framework for educational equity and equality that can help to build prosperous, healthy and sustainable societies. Within this framework, school-based Physical Education (PE) has been acknowledged to be a key setting for delivering and promoting physical activity (PA) to all children at a minimal cost. High-quality PE provides opportunities for students with and without support needs* to obtain knowledge and develop the abilities needed to establish and maintain active lifestyles throughout life. However, children in need of special support are still widely affected by school-based physical activity disparities and inequities. School-based physical activity programs, specifically benefit the health and daily PA engagement of children in need of special support and improve their mental health. Furthermore, PA can have positive impact on self-efficacy and self-esteem. Finally, PE has also been identified as a setting which can provide a microcosm of complex interactions and relationships that can strengthen students’ interpersonal and social skills.

This Collection is intended to gather knowledge about how school-based programs can promote and facilitate PA among students in need of special support. Contributions may include research articles, reviews, method articles, policy briefs, opinion pieces, and any of our other article types.

The purpose of this Collection is to enrich the communication between researchers and practitioners, and to address the disparities and inequalities that still hamper the participation in physical education by students in need of special support.

*In line with the preferred terminology used in disability science, we refer to children in need of special support, before “with special needs”. Special needs are eliminated if the environment is adequately adapted or the support is appropriate. However, as cultures, languages, and research fields use different terms, we invite researchers to use and define the appropriate term for their region and field of research.

Keywords: physical education, physical activity, students in need of special support, school, inclusive education, disability, special support

Any questions about this Collection? Please email editorial@routledgeopenresearch.org