The roles and responsibilities of paraeducators in physical education

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Authors
Klug, Jennifer S.
Advisor
Davis, Ronald W., 1950-
Issue Date
2005
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (M.A.)
Department
School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science
Other Identifiers
Abstract

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 attempted to create a school environment where teachers and paraeducators would be highly qualified by 2006 (PL 107-110). However, the issue of having highly qualified paraeducators in physical education was disregarded. The purpose of this study was to replicate the work of Aschemeier in 2004 and to report similarities and differences with regard to roles, responsibilities, and training needs of paraeducators in physical education. Participants (N=68) were compromised of paraeducators in rural, suburban, and urban public schools grades Pre K-12 in all four Allen County, Indiana school districts. A two-part questionnaire was distributed to paraeducators to acquire background knowledge, assess current responsibilities in physical education, and identify training needs. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency counts to answer all research questions. Results indicated that paraeducators responsibilities in physical education were unclear. Although many paraeducators believed themselves to be adequately trained to assist in physical education, few had any formal training on the subject; however, results also revealed that many paraeducators are willing to receive training depending on training length and topics offered. These results concur with the findings of Aschemeier in 2004.

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