Background: Students with disability show a trajectory of higher incidence of school failure. High quality teaching and proper support may foster high self-efficacy, as protective factors for successful school outcomes. Physical Education (PE) can provide students with a context in which self-efficacy is promoted. At transition into high school with higher cognitive stakes, developmental changes and individual social identification coinciding, a disability may add to the challenge of success. Investigating self-efficacy as a predictor of achievement operationalized as grade points, student perceived self-efficacy, function and aptitude to participate in PE, and teacher rated teaching quality are examined.

Method: Three groups were studied, students with 1. Diagnosed disability, 2. Low grades and 3. High grades in PE in year 6. Questionnaires were completed by students in 26 classes including classmates (n=450, 228 boys) and their PE-teachers (n=25). Correlations were analyzed, differentiating groups of students.

Results: Students with disabilities experience lower general self-efficacy and in PE, and are less apt to participate in PE. Their PE self-efficacy is higher if the classroom climate is good. PE-teachers systematic work with grading has positive effects on academic and movement self-efficacy for students with low grades and on health self-efficacy for students with high grades. Highest effect of perceived socio-cognitive function is displayed in students with low grades, the correlation is stronger in general self-efficacy than in self-efficacy in PE. Students with high grades have higher self-efficacy in general and in PE.

Conclusions: Student perceived socio-cognitive function is of major importance to students experience of self-efficacy. Most impact is seen on subscales measuring academic and movement self-efficacy.