Background/Purpose A collaborative effort between parents and teachers may assist in enhancing the quality of the instruction and services for children with autism in physical education (PE) settings. However, there is a paucity of research exploring parental perceptions of PE/APE teachers and programs for their children with autism. The purpose of this study was to systematically validate an instrument to assess parental perceptions toward adapted physical education (APE) teachers and programs.
Method Participants for the three step process included two expert panels, one to assess content validity of the survey (n = 5), and another to assess item content relevance of survey questions (n = 8). Along with parents (n = 11) of youth with autism. The Parental Perceptions Toward APE Teachers (PPTAPET) Likert Scale survey where parents rated their level of satisfaction regarding communication with APE teachers, qualifications of APE teachers, and rapport with the APE teacher.
Analysis/Results The culling down of the PPTAPET was done by way of a correlational pairwise matrix and Delphi Method. Lastly á coefficients and split half reliability of the survey were determined. Based on the á coefficients (.89-.92) for each of the three subscales it was concluded that the PPTAPET survey had high internal validity. Split half reliability of the scale was determined by the Spearman Brown Prophecy coefficient, r” = .90.
Conclusions In conclusion preliminary evidence for validity and reliability of the PPTAPET was acceptable and demonstrated the survey may be a useful tool in assessing parental perceptions of their child's APE program and teacher.
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