Designing Inclusive Table Tennis Education for University Students with and Without Disabilities: A TPSR-Informed Framework Centered on Responsibility, Respect, and Belonging

Abstract

University physical education (PE) can promote not only physical skills and health but also responsibility, respect, cooperation, and social inclusion. However, students with disabilities may remain marginalized from meaningful practice, peer interaction, decision-making, and valued roles even in shared classes. This paper develops a provisional inclusive table tennis education framework for university students with and without disabilities. Using a theory- and practice-oriented conceptual framework design, literature on Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR), disability-inclusive physical education, differentiated instruction, Universal Design for Learning, cooperative learning, and table tennis pedagogy was purposefully integrated through conceptual mapping. The framework comprises six interdependent curriculum dimensions-respect, responsibility, cooperation, inclusive participation, belonging, and transfer-and a five-phase lesson cycle: relational opening, responsibility awareness, differentiated skill practice, cooperative application, and reflection/transfer. It also distinguishes curriculum dimensions from proposed empirical outcomes and outlines a staged validation pathway. Inclusion is conceptualized as meaningful participation, agency, valued contribution, and belonging rather than physical co-location alone. The TPSR-informed framework requires co-design, expert review, feasibility testing, and controlled evaluation before effectiveness can be established.