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Associations among self-awareness, perspective taking, prosocial behavior, and attitudes toward persons with disabilities among high school students without disabilities: differences by inclusive physical education participation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among self-awareness, perspective taking, prosocial behavior, and attitudes toward persons with disabilities among high school students without disabilities within the context of inclusive education, and to explore whether participation in inclusive physical education (IPE) classes was associated with differences in these relationships. Methods Survey data were collected from 437 high school students without disabilities. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group analysis. Results Self-awareness was positively associated with both prosocial behavior and attitudes toward persons with disabilities, whereas perspective taking was not significantly associated with either variable. In addition, prosocial behavior was positively associated with attitudes toward persons with disabilities. The multi-group analysis according to participation in IPE classes indicated no statistically significant differences in the overall structural model. However, relatively stronger positive relationship patterns were observed within the participation group. Conclusions The findings suggest that self-awareness and prosocial behavior may be associated with attitudes toward persons with disabilities among students without disabilities. In contrast, cognitive perspective taking was not significantly associated with prosocial behavior or disability acceptance attitudes. Although no statistically significant differences were found in the overall structural model according to participation in IPE classes, relatively positive relationship patterns were observed within the participation group. These findings highlight the importance of social-emotional characteristics and interaction experiences within inclusive educational environments.

Source: Frontiers in Education

DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2026.1906198

Authors: Jeong-Hwan Jeong, Kyung-Jin Kim

Institution: Korea National Sport University

Language: English

Topic: Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,353