A new research project run by an academic at the University of Winchester will look at neurodivergent young people’s experiences of PE at school.
Dr Steve Smith, Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching and Psychology and Programme Leader for Sport Coaching and Physical Education at the University, will explore the experiences of 400 neurodivergent young people aged 11–16 attending mainstream secondary schools.
Taking part in PE can boost confidence and a sense of belonging, but for some young people it can be a stressful and embarrassing experience which puts them off sport and physical activity.
Dr Smith’s research challenges the assumption that inclusion is simply about helping neurodivergent pupils cope with existing PE provision. Instead, it asks whether the way PE lessons are designed and taught may create barriers to participation.
The study will compare pupils’ perceptions of traditional technique-led approaches— in which everybody practises the same movement, following a demonstration and has their errors corrected—with ecological and game-based approaches.
Ecological approaches use adaptable games and challenges which allow young people to explore different solutions rather than reproduce one prescribed technique.
This can reduce the visibility of mistakes and create more ways for different young people to participate.
The anonymous survey will examine pupils’ enjoyment, anxiety, sense of inclusion, willingness to participate and preferences for different teaching environments.
Recruitment will be supported through the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Research Delivery Networks and school-facing routes.
A £2,000 British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant has funded a £5 voucher for each participant in the study.
Dr Smith said:
“Too often, discussions about inclusion focus on how a young person can be supported to fit into an existing PE environment. This research turns that question around and asks whether we should redesign the environment itself.
“Ecological approaches could offer more flexible and inclusive ways for young people to move, learn and participate, but we first need to listen to neurodivergent pupils and understand how they experience different forms of teaching.”
The project – titled Designing Inclusive Physical Education: Neurodivergent Young People’s Experiences of Technique-Led and Ecological/Game-Based Teaching Approaches – will run from October 2026 to September 2027.
The data collected will form the basis of an academic paper and an accessible briefing for PE teachers, school leaders and inclusion leads as well as laying the foundations for a larger study examining how more inclusive approaches can be developed and evaluated in schools.