https://www.ijpefs.org/index.php/ijpefs/issue/feed 2026-12-30T00:00:00+00:00 Shashi Bala Singh, Ph.D., DSc., FNASc., FIAN, FAMS editor-in-chief@ijpefs.org Open Journal Systems The International Journal of Physical Education, Fitness and Sports (IJPEFS) is an international, print / online quarterly journal (ISSN.No: Print (2277-5447) and Online (2457-0753)) published in English. The aim of IJPEFS is to stimulate knowledge to professionals, researchers and academicians working in the fields of Physical Education, Fitness and Sports Sciences. https://www.ijpefs.org/index.php/ijpefs/article/view/864 2026-10-27T11:19:48+00:00 Rajkumar M rajkumar@buc.edu.in

<p>Background: Inclusive physical education (PE) is proclaimed as a rights-based and social-justice imperative but mainstream placement alone does not necessarily guarantee meaningful inclusion. The central issue is an inclusion enactment gap between the intentions expressed in policy or by teachers and the lived experience of learners. Methods: A critical integrative review of the diverse empirical, theoretical, and review literature relevant to inclusive physical education in schools was carried out. Three related questions concerning learner outcomes, mechanism of inclusion or exclusion, and power or intersectional conditions were used to interpret the synthesis, which was structured around six conceptual families. The review is offered as a theory building synthesis rather than an exhaustive account of the field because it was not founded on a preregistered or fully audited systematic search process. Results: Access, meaningful engagement, agency, belonging, and learning and flourishing were found to represent five analytically distinct learner outcomes. Teachers, pedagogy, peers, and system/context are the four interacting domains that determine these outcomes, while intersectionality and power function across all domains. The synthesis draws attention to persistent conflicts between learner-deficit explanations, structurally constrained teacher adaptation, inconsistent evidence supporting strategies such as Universal Design for Learning, and insufficient attention to student voice. Conclusion: The proposed Inclusion-Enactment Framework re-conceptualises inclusive PE as an outcome-mechanism-context problem, as opposed to a placement status. It is a diagnostic and hypothesis generating model and not a validated measurement instrument. Future research should focus on the learner experience, the mechanisms of change, intersectional designs, inclusive assessment, school-level implementation, long-term outcomes and greater geographical diversity.</p>

2026-10-27T00:00:00+00:00 Copyright (c) 2026 Rajkumar M