Outline
The research will be dedicated to the use of stability balls in the classroom for the improvement of disciplinary and academic outcomes of students with ADHD. Its significance is determined by disorder-related difficulties that cannot be properly addressed in classroom settings. When students with ADHD cannot sit at their places during a lesson, listen attentively, work efficiently with classmates, concentrate their attention, and perform tasks, their academic achievements are affected. At the same time, even within the framework of supported diversity in a school, individual approach to every student frequently cannot be provided. In turn, this research aims to evaluate the impact of a simple change in classroom settings. In the case of positive outcomes, the use of stability balls instead of chairs even for limited period of time may help students with ADHD to improve their outcomes and provide additional support for educators.
The location for the current research is Knapp Elementary School located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Its choice is determined by the culture of inclusion and its attendance by students who requires additional support due to their health peculiarities, including children with ADHD. At the same time, the appropriate results of the study may contribute to the implementation of the proposed intervention on a regular basis that facilitate teachers’ performance and improve students’ emotional well-being and educational progress. In general, every class has approximately 1-3 students with the confirmed diagnosis of ADHD. With the involvement of 25 children with this disorder, the study will evaluate the efficiency of stability balls’ use for the academic progress and behavior of students with ADHD on the basis of data comparison. The results may be applied not only in Knapp Elementary School but in other educational facilities across the country as well.
Introduction
The current research addresses the impact of stability balls’ use in the classroom on discipline and academic achievements of students with the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In general, the choice of the topic was determined by the significance of the problem related to children with hyperactivity and attention concerns in classroom settings. According to the American Psychiatric Association, ADHD is associated with “difficulties sustaining attention, impairment of self-regulatory behavior, and hyperactivity” that lead to multiple behavioral, educational, and social problems (Fedewa & Erwin, 2011, p. 393). Students with ADHD typically experience substantial issues with staying in one place for a long period of time, listening, and concentrating attention on one subject. As a result, they frequently suffer disciplinary infractions, have lower scores in tests that evaluate academic achievement, and even repeat a grade. In addition, due to educational difficulties and impairments, children with ADHD feel inferior in comparison with others, and this feeling may contribute to the deterioration of their emotional well-being and the occurrence of health complications.
The location chosen for the research is Knapp Elementary School located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. There are two main reasons that determined the choice of this location. First of all, according to the school’s review, it belongs to the state’s top-performing public elementary school even if its test scores and student progress are average (GreatSchools, n.d.). This data presuppose that even students’ academic progress is satisfactory, there are still opportunities for improvement. At the same time, Knapp Elementary School has the highest diversity rating on the basis of its culture that value racial, economic, and health tolerance (Niche, n.d.). In addition, the school offers individualized education programs (IEPs) for students who require additional support and individual approach during education. In general, children who need IEPs have physical disabilities, developmental delays, vision, hearing, language, or speech impairment and problems, emotional disorders, autism, cognitive challenges, learning problems, and ADHD. In this case, as Knapp Elementary School has children with ADHD, it is the responsibility of its MTSS team to identify their needs and provide solutions for their adaptation and academic achievements.
At the same time, there is another factor that contributed to the location’s choice. In particular, according to the school’s rating referred to the ratio of teachers and counselors, Knapp Elementary School has one counselor per 576 students while the state’s average ratio is 376:1 (GreatSchools, n.d.). As a school counselor’s responsibilities include the provision of comprehensive support in response to children’s social, emotional, and academic problems, a lack of these specialists may contribute to the fact that a considerable number of students may feel underserved. In this case, teachers have to address both educational and non-educational issues of their students, and they frequently do not have enough time and efforts to provide individual approach to every child and address the needs of students with ADHD. In addition, these students may have no opportunity to receive help from a counselor and improve disciplinary outcomes. Thus, within the framework of teachers’ workload pressure and students’ particular concerns, the research may provide additional support for all of them.
Statement of the Problem
While Knapp Elementary School has excellent rates of diversity and officially implements IEP students, research dedicated to additional options that may improve academic and behavioral progress of students with ADHD is essential. First of all, they are in need of individual approach and additional support which may be affected due to the school’s lack of counselors and teachers’ limited opportunities to pay as much attention as these children require. The inability of teachers to control the behavior in the classroom and academic achievements of children with ADHD all the time may be observed. In other words, teachers report that students with ADHD have a great potential, however, their academic progress is continuously affected by their inability to control their behavior in the classroom. At the same time, the identified research may provide several positive outcomes on the basis of positive outcomes.
First of all, they will help teacher conduct classes more efficiently if students with ADHD will improve their behavior. Moreover, they allow children feel more confident as due to the implementation of a new approach their academic achievement may be positively affected. Finally, the research may be regarded as significant for parents whose children have ADHD. While there are behavioral management and psychopharmacological treatments for ADHD, they have an insignificant impact on educational outcomes (Fedewa & Erwin, 2011). In addition, they may be cost-inefficient, and their provision becomes challenging for numerous low-income families. At the same time, while the school has necessary equipment, it has enough resources for additional tools, including stability balls. In general, the school’s demographic is reflected in Table 1.
Table 1
In average, every class has 1-3 IEP students with mild to severe signs of ADHD. For the research, 25 students from 3rd-5th grades (8-10 years old) with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD were chosen. All in all, 15 teachers will be involved in the intervention. The general test scores and academic progress of these children is 4/10 and 6/10, respectively, however, the suspension rates are low, and these students regularly attend classes (GreatSchools, n.d.). 19 students from them are boys and 6 students are girls, 20 students are Whites and 5 students belong to other nationalities. More than a half of them are from low-income families.
Definitions of Key Terms
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a school’s multidimensional system of supports responsible for helping struggling students to improve academic progress and relationships with peers. In addition, MTSS aims to enhance teachers’ effectiveness through the introduction of appropriate techniques. In Knapp Elementary School, a MTSS team is responsible for the conduction of an identified research.
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are individualized educational programs of public schools provided for students who need additional support and health due to physical, mental, and emotional peculiarities. The main purposes of IEPs are children’s academic progress and their inclusion in peers’ educational team.
The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that traditionally occurs in childhood and lasts throughout the lifetime. ADHD is characterized by a lack of attention concentration, inability to stay in the same place for a long period of time, impulsive behavior, and unreasonable risk-taking.
Stability Ball is a piece of fitness equipment; it is a large elastic ball used for lying or sitting on while exercising to improve posture, relieve lower back pain, and train muscles.
Review of Related Literature
There are studies dedicated to the evaluation of the impact of stability balls’ use on student’s behavior and educational outcomes. According to Fedewa et al. (2015), the use of these tools instead of chair does not generate any substantial difference in children’s classroom achievements. Their findings are supported by the research of Erwin et al. (2016), who did not detect changes as well. At the same time, Schilling et al. (2003) state that stability balls positively impact attention and academic achievements. Mead et al. (2016) also assume that stability balls instead of chairs may improve students’ focus for learning during math tests. Flippin et al. (2020) and Doroff et al. (2019) report the positive correlation between the use of kinesthetic equipment and on-task behavior. Kilbourne (2009) found that students prefer stability balls for better concentration while taking notes. According to the survey of Kafka and Limberg (2013), the majority of interviewed teachers reported that they were aware of stability balls and intended to use them during classes primarily for students’ attention concentration and improved behavior. Thus, in relation to the common population, the expediency of stability balls’ use remains controversial.
However, another results may be observed when the impact of stability balls is examined in relation to students with mental and health peculiarities. Thus, Bagatell et al. (2010), Sadr et al. (2017), and Schilling and Schwartz (2004) conducted their studies involving students with autism. They receive similar results – the use of stability balls may improve in-seat behavior of these children. In turn, Fedewa and Erwin (2011) and Macphee et al. (2019) investigated the impact of stability balls on the academic outcomes of students with ADHD. Their findings demonstrated that stability balls may substantially improve these students’ concentration, classroom behavior, and educational progress. Piragasam et al. (2018) found an improvement of writing productivity in children with learning disabilities after using stability balls. Reyneke and Hoosain (2020) identified an improved on-task performance in students with Down syndrome through stability balls’ use. All in all, the use of stability balls by students with particular health issues reportedly improve their on-task behavior and lead to successful academic outcomes.
Hypotheses
On the basis of previous research that indicate the positive impact of stability balls’ use on the behavior and academic achievements of students with physical, mental, and emotional disorders, the MTSS team of Knapp Elementary Schools expects that the current research will provide positive outcomes in relation to its students as well. Thus, the study’s hypotheses may be defined as the following:
- The use of stability balls instead of chairs will improve the in-task behavior of students with ADHD.
- The use of stability balls instead of chairs will improve the academic progress of students with ADHD.
Action Plan
The participants of this quantitative research will be 25 students from 3rd-5th grades (8-10 years old) with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD. First of all, for the intervention, it is essential to receive an informed consent of parents of students involved in the study and teachers’ agreement on data confidentiality. In other words, students’ personal information related to the study cannot be used outside the school. The preparation period will last for three weeks: during the first two weeks, teachers will be instructed to collect data related to students’ academic progress and behavior, and during the last week, students will be instructed and taught to use given stability balls during classes. After it, teachers will record the scores and behavior of every student involved in the study in their classrooms for ten weeks. Students will have usual curriculum, and the only difference will be the use of stability balls instead of chairs. They will have the same tasks as their classmates and their classroom activities will not be affected by the research. The assessment of outcomes will be organized on the basis of numerical data that will address the changes in students’ scores and behavior before and after the use of stability balls. The schedule of the intervention is presented in Table 2.
Table 2
Research Evaluation Methods
The evaluation of research outcomes will be held on the basis of data collected by teachers and transferred to the school’s MTSS team. First of all, during the first two weeks of the preparation period, every teacher involved in the study will collect numerical data related to students with ADHD involved in the research as well. In particular, during every lesson, teachers will record the number of times when students with ADHD demonstrate a lack of attention concentration. These cases will include the leave of their seats during a lesson and non-involvement in tasks. Along with these frequencies, teachers will record the scores of students involved in the study. Moreover, teachers should confirm that received results may be regarded as common, and these students traditionally demonstrate these behavioral patterns and academic progress.
With the beginning of the intervention, during its ten weeks, teachers will follow the same procedures collecting the same types of data in relation to involved students. At the end of this period, data received prior and during the intervention that presupposed the use of stability balls instead of chairs by students with ADHD during their usual classes will be compared to detect differences that will determine the efficiency of this kinesthetic equipment. In this case, the changes in behavior reflected in the number of times when students demonstrated a lack of attention and their scores will be easily observed.
Findings
It is expected that all students involved in the study will understood their responsibilities in relation to it and learn to use provided stability balls. During the first two weeks of the intervention, substantial changes should not be expected. However, starting from the third week, the number of times when students demonstrate the deficit of attention should continuously decrease while the scores should improve due to students’ in-task behavior and focus on learning. The results may be presented as in Table 2 where the results of all students will be summarized. In other words, the number of their attention-break cases will be counted together, while scores will be present as an average ratio. The results of the current research correspond with the findings of Doroff et al. (2019), Flippin et al. (2020), Macphee et al. (2019), and Fedewa and Erwin (2011) that demonstrated the positive impact of stability balls’ use on children’s in-task behavior and academic achievements.
Table 2
Conclusions
According to the results of the research, it is possible to observe a significant improvement of the in-task behavior and academic progress of students with ADHD. The reduction of the number of discipline-break cases indicates that using stability balls instead of chairs, children are more involved in tasks given by teachers and leave their seats fewer times. As a result, their academic progress reflected in test scores improves. In this case, it is possible to state that the results approved both hypotheses. It goes without saying that the results of every child are individual as personal characteristics should be considered, however, general outcomes allow to state that the use of stability balls instead of chairs by students with ADHD in the classroom positively impact their in-task behavior and academic achievements, respectively. These results are beneficial for students, their parents, and teachers. Thus, the ability of students with ADHD to unintentionally control their behavior and the related improvement of their scores will affect their emotional well-being and relationships with peers. In turn, parents will have a cost-efficient method of coping with the consequences of their children’s disorder. Finally, teachers will receive an opportunity to conduct their classes more efficiently due to improved discipline and pay more attention to every student providing appropriate support and help.
Further Recommendations
As previously mentioned, although the individual characteristics of every child should be considered, the current research allow to evaluate students’ average academic and behavioral progress. In turn, it does not reflect whether the intervention was useful for all students with ADHD. In this case, it is recommended for another researcher who will focus on this topic to conduct a more complex study that will combine quantitative and qualitative approaches. For this, it is possible to reduce the number of participants but include interviews with them dedicated to their impression from the intervention. In this case, its impact on every participant will be evaluated as well.
References
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