Adapted Physical Education Teachers’ Sources of Stress and Coping Strategies

Grounded in role stress theory, this study aimed to examine the sources of stress and coping strategies among adapted physical education (APE) teachers. A total of 15 (10 female, five male) APE teachers with six to 31 years of teaching experience participated in this study. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews and collecting personal narratives. As a result of data analysis, the following five themes emerged: (a) highly demanding workloads, (b) meeting the needs of students with disabilities, (c) the shortage of paraprofessionals, (d) a lack of understanding and recognition of APE, and (e) supportive colleagues. Implications for minimizing APE teachers’ stressors and future research directions are also discussed.