Developing a Socially-Just Research Agenda for Inclusive Physical Education in Japan

Ethnocentric models of disability and inclusive pedagogical practice have resulted in an ontology of disability that rarely embraces the cultural nuances and social structures of specific countries. There have been increasing calls from scholars to expand understandings of disability beyond this hegemonic focus and develop new ways to do culturally specific and respectful inclusive work. Utilizing a novel methodological approach based on Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, we problematized past research and the current knowledge landscape of inclusive physical education (PE) in Japan. We identified that PE teachers were constantly ‘Grappling with Conflict’ regarding their intrinsic desire to include disabled students in PE, and the cultural, institutional demands that instructed them how to teach. We drew upon numerous holistic, cultural, and Globally Eastern philosophies of thought to interpret these findings and move beyond ethnocentrism that has previously dominated this research. From this reinterpretation of findings, we developed a future research agenda for improving inclusive PE in Japan to support teachers and students in culturally respectful and contextual ways.