This study examined the associations between teachers’ beliefs and behaviors related to inclusive education (IE) and their evaluations of social and academic competences in students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) – important indicators of IE. Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the research investigated how teachers’ intentions to implement IE and their supportive practices affected the social and academic competences of students with ASD. The study involved 267 teachers from 78 mainstream secondary schools in Hong Kong. Teachers completed a questionnaire assessing attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention to implement IE. Information on teachers’ practices supporting students with ASD and their evaluations of social and academic competences of these students was also collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the relationships between these variables. Correlation analysis revealed positive and significant associations between teachers’ beliefs, inclusive practices, and their evaluations of social and academic competences of students with ASD. SEM indicated that perceived behavioral control significantly and positively influenced the social and academic competences of students with ASD through teachers’ inclusive practices. This study highlights the vital role of teachers’ control beliefs and inclusive practices in fostering the social and academic competences of students with ASD. By applying the TPB and SEM, the research contributes to understanding how teachers’ intentions and behaviors in implementing IE impact students’ outcomes. The findings offer practical implications for enhancing inclusive education practices for supporting students with ASD in mainstream schools. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Hong Kong has faced the suspension of primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools due to COVID-19, which has put over one million students out of the classroom. Educators were abruptly forced to shift to online and virtual classes without sufficient time and resources to prepare for such an enormous transition. While shifting from traditional face-to-face format to modern e-learning ensures that students can be educated outside of the classroom, its impact on the quality of learning and teaching can be mixed because professionals cannot solely rely on conventional teaching approaches. This project aims to address the knowledge gap in the traditional teacher-training by developing an online programme called “T.E.A.C.H.” to enhance pre-service teachers’ psychological competence for conducting online L&T. This programme consists of five modules, with each focusing on a specific domain of psychological competence (i.e., creativity, curiosity, love of learning, judgment, and perspective) and applied to the ‘three foci’ for online L&T (i.e., attendance and participation, engagement, and assessment). The modules consist of lecture videos, readings, practical tips and suggestions, and e-learning resources. The learning experience is consolidated and enriched by a series of interactive activities, practice exercises, critical evaluations, reflections, and short quizzes. The effectiveness of the programme for enhancing pre-service teachers’ psychological competence and online L&T outcomes are assessed through questionnaire measures, objective behavioural tasks, and knowledge checks. Pre-service teachers are expected to show more positive attitudes toward online L&T, higher self-efficacy to teach online, greater motivation to use information and communication technologies, and increased online pedagogical competence. Copyright © 2021 ICLT.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive school closures worldwide and many schools were forced to adopt online teaching mode. Purpose: This survey study aims to examine the effectiveness of online teaching in physical education (PE) and support needed from the teachers’ perspective. Methods: Responses from 294 frontline PE teachers were collected via an online survey between 4 and 29 January 2021. Results: Four major findings were highlighted in our study. First, most teachers reported that online PE lessons were not effective to improve motor skill acquisition and physical activity level, the major reasons for which were “lack of practical training”, “students’ lack of learning motivation/interest”, and “limited interpersonal interactions”. Second, most teachers encountered difficulties in online teaching, with major difficulties comprising “limited interpersonal interactions’ and “difficult to retain students’ learning motivation/interest”. Third, most teachers felt that online teaching was stressful due to the increased workload in preparation and safety concerns of the home-exercise programme. Fourth, many teachers suggested that schools or governments should provide online teaching kits, such as suggested online lesson plans or home activity recommendations, for their reference. Conclusions: In summary, the effectiveness of online teaching in PE during COVID-19 school closures was generally perceived to be low and difficult by the frontline PE teachers. Schools and governments should provide sufficient support, such as online teaching kits and concrete teaching guidelines, for PE teachers to develop creative and interactive online lessons, which will in turn benefit students in motor skill acquisition and physical activity level. Copyright © 2021 JPES.