A qualitative narrative inquiry examining how PE faculty inclusion practices shape confidence in a college student living with a ventricular shunt
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55040/qtkbks23Keywords:
inclusive physical education, ventricular shunt, narrative inquiry, faculty adaptation, student confidenceAbstract
Inclusive education in higher education can fail to consider the students with complicated medical problems needing a balance between safety and inclusion like the ventricular conditions (shunts) who cannot take part in the Physical Education (PE) activity. With an orientation of Narrative Inquiry, this qualitative study examines effects of practice by PE faculty to build the confidence of a college student living with a ventricular shunt. Four of the stories, student, PE teacher, parent and medical staff were studied in terms of temporality, sociality and place. Results indicate that adaptive teaching (e.g., in lieu of high-impact activities, graded low-intensity activities) and relational transparency and interdisciplinary readiness encouraged physical activity and psychosocial self-assurance. The student stated that she experienced functional gains and motivation, whereas the teacher stressed the use of open communication and co-planning with parents and health staff members. Proactive updates were confirmed by the parent to increase trust, and monitoring and emergency preparedness were identified by the nurse as a foundation of safe inclusion. These findings confirm that co-construction of confidence takes place based on relational pedagogy and clinical vigilance. The framework proposed as SAFE-PE, Screen and Share, Adapt and Advance, Visible Feedback, and Emergency Ready, provides practical advices on what should be done with a faculty and an institution. The present research offers a localized framework of inclusive PE to the Philippine higher education and highlights the ethical appeal of heart-centered teaching.
References
Betz, C. L., Hudson, S. M., Skura, A. L., Rajeev, N. D., Smith, K. A., & Van Speybroeck, A. (2022). Exploratory study of the provision of academic and health-related accommodations to transition-age adolescents and emerging adults with spina bifida. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, 15(4), 593-605. https://doi.org/10.3233/PRM-210116
Boquia, E. A. (2026). Aprendizaje activo a través de una vida activa: La relación entre la actividad física y la motivación académica en estudiantes universitarios. Sportis. Scientific Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.2.12885
Cabahug, C. J. P., Torremocha, A. M., Tahanlangit, J. G., Ilaida, E. S., Millan, M. S. R., Hermosilla, L. A., Austero, E. A., & Gula, L. P. (2026). Apoyo al entrenador y a los compañeros de equipo: Su impacto en la mejora de la confianza en el juego de los estudiantes-atletas. Sportis. Scientific Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.2.12425
Carballo, R., Morgado, B., & Cortés-Vega, M. D. (2021). Transforming faculty conceptions of disability and inclusive education through a training programme. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(7), 843-859. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1579874
Clouder, L., Karakus, M., Cinotti, A., Ferreyra, M. V., Amador Fierros, G., & Rojo, P. (2020). Neurodiversity in higher education: A narrative synthesis. Higher Education, 80(4), 757–778. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00513-6
Derbali, C. (2026). Pedagogías creativas centradas en el estudiante en la educación física: Una revisión sistemática y un metanálisis de resultados multidimensionales. Sportis. Scientific Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.2.12602
Fernández-Batanero, J. M., Montenegro-Rueda, M., & Fernández-Cerero, J. (2022). Access and participation of students with disabilities: The challenge for higher education. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 11918. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911918
Ferreira, L. C., Longo, E., Giannetti, A. V., Rezende, Y. L. S., Oliveira, E. D. A., Silva, T. F., & Camargos, A. C. R. (2025). Factors associated with participation patterns of young Brazilian children with myelomeningocele. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942638.2024.2447025
Gereige, R. S., Gross, T., Jastaniah, E., & Council on School Health & Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine. (2022). Individual medical emergencies occurring at school. Pediatrics, Sport, Education and Society, 150(1), e2022057987. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-057987
Grenier, M., Patey, M. J., & Grenier-Burtis, M. (2023). Educating students with severe disabilities through an inclusive pedagogy in physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 28(8), 887–900. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2022.2084064
Grimminger-Seidensticker, E., & Seyda, M. (2022). Enhancing attitudes and self-efficacy toward inclusive teaching in physical education pre-service teachers: Results of a quasi-experimental study in physical education teacher education. Frontiers in Education, 7, 909255. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.909255
Haegele, J. A., Bueche, J. J., Wilson, W. J., Brady, E., Zhu, X., & Li, C. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to inclusion in integrated physical education: Adapted physical educators' perspectives. European Physical Education Review, 27(2), 297-311. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X20944429
Holland, K., Haegele, J. A., Zhu, X., & Bobzien, J. (2023). “Everybody wants to be included”: Experiences with ‘inclusive’ strategies in physical education. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 35, 273–293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-022-09852-x
Karamani, M., Makopoulou, K., Mansfield, S., & Herold, F. (2024). The complex journey towards the enactment of inclusion in physical education: A scoping review of the literature on teachers' perceptions and practices. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2024.2374263
Kim, M. M., & Kutscher, E. L. (2021). College students with disabilities: Factors influencing growth in academic ability and confidence. Research in Higher Education, 62(3), 309-331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-020-09595-8
Maleknia, P., Chalamalla, A. R., Arynchyna-Smith, A., Dure, L., Murdaugh, D., & Rocque, B. G. (2022). Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and intellectual disability among children with hydrocephalus. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, 30(2), 188-194. https://doi.org/10.3171/2022.4.PEDS2249
McGrath, K., Laurent, D., Otero, O., Hey, G., Tomdio, M., Sorrentino, Z., & Rahman, M. (2024). An interdisciplinary protocol for ventriculoperitoneal shunt patient selection in normal pressure hydrocephalus. World Neurosurgery, 187, e1-e11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2024.04.124
Mitchell, K. A. S., Zelko, I., Shay, T., Horen, S., Williams, A., Luciano, M., & Gordon, C. R. (2021). The impact of hydrocephalus shunt devices on quality of life. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, 32(5), 1746-1750. https://doi.org/10.1097/SCS.0000000000007579
Moriña, A., Sandoval, M., & Carnerero, F. (2020). Higher education inclusivity: When the disability enriches the university. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(6), 1202–1216. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1712676
Morley, D., Parkinson, S., Banks, T., Van Rossum, T., Haslingden, C., Morley, I., Kirk, B., & Maher, A. (2020). Including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in mainstream secondary physical education: A revisit study. European Physical Education Review, 27(2), 401–418. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X20953872
Narvacan, J. L., Boquia, E. A., Monal, F. B., & Allesa, J. J. (2026). El costo pedagógico de la especialización desajustada: Dificultades instruccionales de docentes no especializados en educación física. Sportis. Scientific Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.2.13055
Nowland, L. A., & Haegele, J. A. (2023). The self-efficacy of physical education teachers to teach students with disabilities: A systematic review of literature. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 40(4), 758-780. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2022-0135
Popal, A. M., Zhu, Z., Guo, X., Zheng, Z., Cai, C., Jiang, H., Zhang, J., Shao, A., & Zhu, J. (2021). Outcomes of ventriculoperitoneal shunt in patients with idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus 2 years after surgery. Frontiers in Surgery, 8, Article 641561. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2021.641561
Rohrer-Baumgartner, N., Laberg Holthe, I., Svendsen, E. J., Dahl, H. M., Borgen, I. M. H., Hauger, S. L., & Løvstad, M. (2024). Children and families with chronic pediatric acquired brain injury in need of rehabilitation: Characteristics and main challenges in daily life. Disability and Rehabilitation, 47(6), 1543-1552. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2024.2376936
Scarneo-Miller, S. E., DiStefano, L. J., Mazerolle Singe, S., Register-Mihalik, J. K., Stearns, R. L., & Casa, D. J. (2020). Emergency action plans in secondary schools: Barriers, facilitators, and social determinants affecting implementation. Journal of Athletic Training, 55(1), 80–87. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-484-18
Stanuszek, A., Bębenek, A., Milczarek, O., & Kwiatkowski, S. (2021). Return to play in children with shunted hydrocephalus. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, 29(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3171/2021.7.PEDS21127
Stanuszek, A., Milczarek, O., Rubinkiewicz, M., et al. (2021). Return to play after brain tumor surgery in children. Child's Nervous System, Childs Nerv Syst 37, 863-869. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-020-04903-0
Sunderland, G. J., Conroy, E. J., Nelson, A., Gamble, C., Jenkinson, M. D., Griffiths, M. J., & Mallucci, C. L. (2022). Factors affecting ventriculoperitoneal shunt revision: A post hoc analysis of the British Antibiotic and Silver Impregnated Catheter Shunt multicenter randomized controlled trial. Journal of Neurosurgery, 138(2), 483–493. https://doi.org/10.3171/2022.4.JNS22572
Tagare, R. L., Jr. (2026). Convertirse en profesor de Educación Física: Construcción de significados y experiencias vividas en el contexto filipino. Sportis. Scientific Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.2.12819
Tagare, R. L., Jr. (2026). Cuando el espacio, el tiempo y el apoyo son insuficientes: Las realidades de la enseñanza de la Educación Física en Filipinas. Sportis. Scientific Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.2.12888
Tarantino, G., Makopoulou, K., & Neville, R. D. (2022). Inclusion of children with special educational needs and disabilities in physical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis of teachers' attitudes. Educational Research Review, 36, 100456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100456
Trungu, S., Scollato, A., Ricciardi, L., Forcato, S., Polli, F. M., Miscusi, M., & Raco, A. (2022). Clinical outcomes of shunting in normal pressure hydrocephalus: A multicenter prospective observational study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(5), 1286. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11051286
Varedi, M., Lu, L., Phillips, N. S., Partin, R. E., Brinkman, T. M., Armstrong, G. T., & Ness, K. K. (2021). Balance impairment in survivors of pediatric brain cancers: Risk factors and associated physical limitations. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 15, 311-324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-020-00932-5
Villafaña-Samper, Z., García-Cazorla, J., Mayo-Rota, C., Esteban-Torres, D., & Abós, Á. (2026). Impacto de las conductas docentes en Educación Física sobre la intención de practicar actividad física y las necesidades psicológicas básicas del alumnado. Sportis. Scientific Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.17979/sportis.2026.12.2.12787
Zheng, R. Z., Xu, Z., Wang, Z., Qi, Z. X., Hu, J., Mao, Y., & Wu, X. H. (2023). Clinical characteristics of and treatment strategy for hydrocephalus in patients with severe disorders of consciousness. Journal of Neurotrauma, 40(13-14), 1402-1414. https://doi.org/10.1089/neu.2022.0337
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jefferson F. Serrano, Harold Deo B. Cristobal (Autor/a)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The works published in this journal are subject to the following terms:
The author retains the economic rights (copyright) of the published works and grants the journal the right of first publication.
The works are published in the electronic edition of the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike license. They may be copied, used, distributed, transmitted, and publicly displayed, provided that: (i) authorship and the original source of publication (journal, publisher, and URL of the work) are cited; (ii) they are not used for commercial purposes; (iii) the existence and specifications of this license are indicated.
![]()
Self-archiving conditions. Authors are permitted and encouraged to disseminate electronically the post-print versions (publisher’s version), as this facilitates earlier circulation and dissemination, potentially increasing citation and reach within the academic community. Authors may also deposit their articles in repositories and other platforms that support the dissemination of information, provided that the version used is the post-print (publisher’s version). RoMEO color: Blue.