Development and User Testing of an Online Platform to Deliver School-Based Inclusive Physical Education Solutions: Mixed Methods Study.

BACKGROUND

Inclusive physical education (PE) plays a vital role in promoting participation and development among students with different abilities. However, many teachers do not have adequate tools to modify PE activities to meet these diverse needs. In addition, parents are essential partners, as their involvement helps reinforce strategies and provide useful information about their children. While online platforms provide a practical way to deliver such solutions, only a few have been intentionally created to support both teachers and parents in implementing inclusive PE learning. To address this gap, we codeveloped an online platform with adapted PE experts that digitizes an inclusion screening tool and delivers personalized, evidence-based inclusion strategies and resources to teachers and parents.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to develop an online platform that provides inclusion strategies for PE teachers and to examine how teachers and parents perceived its usability, acceptability, and overall usefulness using a mixed methods approach.

METHODS

A mixed methods design was used to evaluate the platform between September 2024 and March 2025. PE teachers (n=8) and parents of children with disabilities (n=8) were recruited through convenience sampling via national social media outreach and completed individual usability testing sessions via Zoom. Usability was assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS), the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS), and task performance metrics. Semistructured interviews were conducted to explore user experiences. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were analyzed using codebook thematic analysis, with findings integrated using joint display analysis.

RESULTS

All participants successfully completed the assigned tasks, with a few instances of minor difficulty (14 total errors across 136 task attempts). Participants completed both usability testing and semistructured interviews. Usability and satisfaction scores were high across both groups (SUS: mean 85.63, SD 9.14 for teachers and mean 84.69, SD 12.50 for parents; QUIS: mean 8.52, SD 0.82 for teachers and mean 8.00, SD 1.31 for parents, out of 9). Mixed methods integration showed convergence between positive usability ratings and perceived professional value, while also identifying challenges related to navigation, terminology, learning for first-time users, and mobile interface design.

CONCLUSIONS

The online platform provides strong usability and high satisfaction among PE teachers and parents. Future work will involve improving implementation and evaluating its impact on students' participation outcomes.