Participatory Work with Young Children

1
Participatory Work with Young Children

• Evaluating a Yoga Program
• for Students in Special Education
• Ilana Palgi, Psy.D.

2
School-based Yoga Program

• Middle-class New York suburb
• 9 children enrolled, 6 completed study
• Ages K thru 3rd grade (ages 5-8)
• Once weekly yoga classes

3
Participatory Program Evaluation

• Evaluation after 6 weeks
• Group meetings 30-45 minutes, audio-taped
• Methodology
• Roger Hart (1997)
• Drawing, Charting, Mapping, Painting
• Dialogue and Inquiry
• Action Group Presentation

4
Meeting 1 I like warriorbecause when I do
warrior I feel like one! (boy, age 6)
5
Drawings of favorite and least favorite poses

• Triangle pose hurt my legs and hurts my ribs
  (boy, age 6)
• I dont like waterfall because it hurts my back
  a little (girl, age 6)
• last week I found out some kids dont like to
  do crescent moon because it hurts their back. So
  we fixed that this week we did some
  backstretches after we did crescent moon. It
  helped me (Teacher)

6
Meetings 2-3 Feelings Chart
7
Yoga and Internal states

• I feel tired (girl, age 5)
• I feel so happyI took my balance and I stayed
  with (boy, age 6) referring to tree pose
• strong like warrior 1 (girl, age 5)
• Im sad. I dont knowI feel sad during
  everything (boy, age 8) during peace breath

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Meeting 4 Mapping
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Yoga Breaths

• If you were going crazy (boy, age 8)
• So were ready to do our job (boy, age 6)
• So we calm down (girl, age 5)
• In the hallwaywhen were wild and were not
  ready, we can take yoga breaths (boy, age 6)
• When youre working and you get a little upset
  (Teacher)

10
Meeting 5 Our Story of Yoga Mural
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Meeting 6 Action Student Presentationto
Teachers and Students

• Mutual dialogue and feedback continued
• sometimes if your arms or legs are hurting from
  a pose, its just because you still need to grow
  some muscle (teacher)
• And you might be holding the pose too long
  (boy, age 8)
• Next year maybe we should strengthen our backs
  before we do crescent pose and maybe the next
  time we do yoga these children should decide
  what we do next (teacher)

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ReflexivityResearch Journal

• My first research project!
• I really didnt know what to expect so I have
  been anxious about getting started
• Weekly entries following each of the group
  meetings and final entry 3 months later
• sometimes I feel like this research project is
  made-up but at the same time I really like
  the idea behind it.

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Lessons Learned

• Qualitative Research and Participatory work
• Expect the unexpected
• It can be done! research with young children in
  special education
• Coding and analyzing the data takes a while but
  its worth it!
• Respect the process!

14
Publication

• Children, Youth, and Environments 2007
• - Participatory Learning and Action with
  Children Our Story of Yoga
• Data from dissertation transformed into a field
  report for publication