Southern Exercise - Texas Thematic Learning

Case Study

TITLE
“How much do your students learn from the Southern Exercise program?”

PURPOSE
The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the learning capacity of a kinesthetic, educational program designed for children between the ages of 4-8 years old.

PROCEDURE
In February 2006, 50 kindergarten students, from a local elementary school in Tarrant County, participated in a case study for Southern Exercise. There were three separate classes that participated in the program. The 50 students included 35 girls and 15 boys. The students ranged between the ages of 5 and 6 years old. Before participating in the Southern Exercise program and after the teachers completed their Texas unit, three kindergarten teachers gave each student, from their class, a pre-test.

The pre-test included 31 questions regarding the Texas thematic curriculum taught during the program. Each question was worth 3.226 points. The tests were graded and the average pre-test score of 72.33% (70, 74, 73) for all 50 students was recorded on file. Click here to download a copy of the blank pre-test.

The 50 kindergarten students then participated in the Southern Exercise program. Each class was split into 6 teams of no more than 4 students. Each class participated in the program for a total of 40 minutes. Each class played the same three, kinesthetic games included in the program.

Students were introduced to Texas symbols through visuals such as stuffed animals and paintings. The students practiced identification of primary colored, wooden letters, numbers, and shapes. The students simultaneously participated in gross motor skills such as running between cones and jumping over hurdles. Students worked together through teamwork throughout the games. Upon completion of the Southern Exercise event, the students reviewed, as a group, over everything that was presented during the program.

Within one week after the completion of the Southern Exercise program, the three kindergarten teachers gave each of the students, from their class, a post-test. The post-test was an exact duplicate of the pre-test. It included the same 31 questions. The point value was 3.226 per question. The post-test was graded and the average post-test score of 85.33% (79, 90, 87) was recorded on file. A comparison was then made between the pre-test and post-test average scores.

RESULTS
Overall, the average test scores for all 50 students improved by 13%. This equates to an increase in one letter grade. When evaluating the test scores separately by class, the results vary somewhat. In class A, the average pre-test score was 70% and the average post-test score was 79%. This signifies a 9% improvement in test scores. In class B, the average pre-test score was 74% and the average post-test score was 90%. This signifies a 16% improvement in test scores. In class C, the average pre-test score was 73% and the average post-test score was 87%. This signifies a 14% improvement in test scores.

CONCLUSION
The learning capacity of the Southern Exercise program is significant. Based on the results of this case study, there is an improvement in learning that ranges between 9% and 16%. Whether the improvement is derived from kinesthetic learning is yet to be determined. A new case study will need to be conducted with the same curriculum being taught in a traditional classroom setting as opposed to a kinesthetic environment. Any teachers interested in participating in the next case study may contact Southern Exercise.