Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions on Acquiring Skills for Integrating Teaching in Adopted Physical Education in Selected Primary School Teachers’ Training Colleges in Kenya

The terminology "assistive technology" (AT) refers to the apparatus, devices, and equipment and the systems, services, adaptations, and processes employed by persons with special needs to support and facilitate their learning needs. Therefore, integrating AT facilities into physical education (PE) could equip special-needs learners with the skills to enhance their physical fitness and well-being, thereby rewarding their educational requirements. However, the adoption of assistive technology is not prevalent in special-needs schools despite the requirement by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). Consequently, learners with disabilities tend to lag behind in physical fitness in comparison to their unchallenged peers. The study incorporates quantitative research supplemented by qualitative methods to appraise the factors and processes that pre-service teachers of learners with disabilities consider, adopt, and utilize when integrating assistive technology in adapted physical education to meet their learners' needs. Additionally, the study evaluates assistive technology skills and knowledge levels among pre-service teachers to determine their adoption levels. Precisely, the study provides an overview of the different kinds of assistive technology facilities available in the Republic of Kenya for special-needs schools, as well as the modalities of their usage. Furthermore, the study assesses the pre-service teachers' perceptions regarding AT in adaptive PE and their tutors' adaptations in utilizing AT when teaching the adapted physical education curriculum. Using the Theory of Normalization, Technology Acceptance Model, and Diffusion of Innovation Theory as its pedagogical frameworks. To this end, the researcher employed the Descriptive Survey Design when collecting data from 395 pre-service teachers, 21 tutors, and 3 departmental heads in three public teacher-training colleges (TTC) with a special-needs curriculum. Additionally, the researcher embraced both probability and non-probability sampling designs to come up with the study sample of 419 respondents. The researcher collected data through a survey using self-reporting questionnaires, observations, interviews, and group discussions. The study included a pilot program for assessing the validity and reliability of the collected data. The Researcher's observations included facilities, assistive technology equipment, lessons, document review, and personal experiences relating to the research questions. The researcher then transcribed, categorized, and organized the qualitative data into themes, which she presented as narratives. Regarding quantitative data collected, the researcher used Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) to generate descriptive statistics, including the mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics, including the model R2, ANOVA statistics, and chi-square tests presented in frequency distribution tables. The researcher embraced the model R2 to establish the correlation between pre-service teachers' level of training or professional development and implementation of assistive technology in adapted physical education preparedness. Additionally, using the same R2, the researcher attempts to establish the correlation between pre-service teachers' attitudes and perceptions towards assistive technology and assistive technology adoption in special needs learners' physical activities preparedness. From the analysis of the qualitative data, eight themes emerged. The themes include categories of assistive technology used in special education, levels of knowledge and skills in using AT in adapted physical education (APE), benefits of AT in special needs education, and barriers in AT awareness among teacher trainees. Other themes comprise the adoption and implementation of the various AT models by PE teachers, resource limitations in AT application in special needs education (SNE), medical and social models' influence on technology implementation in special education, and limited awareness of AT laws. In this regard, this study establishes a significant correlation between successful pre-service teachers' preparedness in APE instructions and teacher trainees' perceptions and attitudes toward AT adoptions. Other independent variables such as tutors' experiences and training levels in AT devices' usage, the availability of the AT facilities within the teacher training colleges, as well as the degree to which a TTC utilizes its AT-trained tutors in teaching the pre-service teachers' AT equipment usage also correlated significantly with successful APE instructions. Thus, the study concludes that learners' perceptions, teachers' attitudes, and institutional environment significantly influence the preparedness of the pre-service teachers in applying AT devices in APE learning in the teacher training colleges in Kenya. Ironically, the study finds that a lack of adequate skills and awareness about AT devices and their usage in APE programs among the teachers training colleges' tutors significantly impeded the preparedness of the pre-service teachers on APE in the randomly sampled colleges. Additionally, the study finds that engaging the various AT frameworks in the PE lessons of pupils with special needs positively influences the learning processes of special-needs learners. Subsequently, the study recommends that the Ministry of Education (MoE) and other education stakeholders support TTC in acquiring adequate AT facilities for the pre-service teachers to allow them to embrace AT in APE because support by the relevant government agencies would enhance the quality application of the knowledge and skills learned for onward transfer to professional practice.