Date of Award
Spring 5-17-2019
Document Type
Project (696 or 796 registration)
Degree Name
Master of Science in Curriculum & Instruction
Department
Graduate Studies
Committee Chair
Courtney LaLonde
Keywords
yoga, attention, school, preschool
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects Yoga Calm (Gillen & Gillen, 2009) had on student attention in Pre-Kindergarten students. Nine pre-kindergarten students receiving special education services at an elementary school participated in 5-10 minutes of yoga practice each day in a small group environment before returning to a large group setting for shared reading. The yoga time consisted of teaching of different sequences along with breathing techniques that could also be used independently. Observations were conducted on a weekly basis during shared reading. The observations focused on whole body listening (eyes, ears, mouth, hands, arms, legs, feet), teacher prompts needed for students to continue to attend, and student affect during the observation. A questionnaire was completed by the general education teacher at the beginning and end of the study. The questionnaire that used was the CONNERS 3 – Teacher Short. Students completed an affect survey daily, before and after participating in yoga. Findings from the study show that yoga during the school day increased attention and decreased hyperactivity in students. The biggest increase was seen through observation, where attention increased by more than 4 minutes on average.
Recommended Citation
Paulson, Amanda, "Effects of Yoga on Student Attention in Pre-K" (2019). Dissertations, Theses, and Projects. 195.
https://red.mnstate.edu/thesis/195
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons