Surveying Teachings about the Use of Stability Balls as an Intervention

Presenter Information

Nicole Kafka, Minnesota State University, Mankato
RaeLynn Limberg, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

16-4-2013 2:00 PM

End Date

16-4-2013 4:00 PM

Student's Major

Psychology

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Carlos Panahon

Mentor's Department

Psychology

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Second Mentor's Name

Natasha Olson

Second Mentor's Department

Psychology

Second Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

Stability balls, which are commonly used for physical fitness, have become a recent interest among educators as a classroom intervention. Educators implement stability balls as an alternative to traditional classroom seating with the intent to improve inappropriate behavior and academic engagement. However, there is little empirical support for their use and effectiveness is lacking. For the purpose of this study, an 18-item questionnaire was administered to teachers in a Southern Minnesota school district that have and have not implemented stability balls as a classroom intervention. The intent of the questionnaire was to uncover motivations for implementation, perceptions regarding effectiveness, and estimate the prevalence of stability balls in classrooms. It is hypothesized that teachers are motivated to use stability balls based on individual students’ needs and are perceived as a beneficial intervention in lieu of experimental analysis supporting their efficacy.