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An Assessment of the Effects of Yoga on the School Problem Behavior of Seventh Grade Students

Yoga Disciplines and Behavior: An Assessment of the Effects of Yoga on the School Problem Behavior of Seventh Grade Students
Lakshyan Schanzer
Hunter College, CUNY Spring 1977
Chairperson: Ed Yarosz, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate how one approach to Affective Learning (Integral Hatha Yoga) can impact self control in the classroom. Specifically, 20 subjects were randomly divided into either of two experimental group conditions: Students in a 45 minute yoga class that met twice per week for one quarterly grade period (14 weeks), and those waiting to begin the Yoga class the following quarterly period. Students were selected from a seventh grade ESL population that had volunteered for yoga classes in lieu of gym. Selection from the group of volunteers was based on degree of school problem behavior as recorded by their regular teachers. Problem behaviors were defined as disruptive enough to refer the child out of the clasroom and to the dean. Thus, Pre-yoga and post-yoga ‘referral to the dean’ records were the basis of the dependent variables (school problem behavior).

Of 120 students given a yoga demonstration, 60 volunteered and received parental permission. Of these, 20 were selected with the approval of the dean, the principal, and the teachers involved. The mean referral rate was 10 referrals out of the classroom per quarter. The groups of 10 students were attempted to be balanced for gender. Eighteen of the students completed the study.

The statistical analysis was rigid and confirmed a null hypothesis (.05 level). However, even with a rigid analysis, the data did approach the rejection value for the null hypothesis. The significance of the findings of this contolled study are discussed.