Peer-reviewed article
Supporting social-emotional and behavioral skills in preschool children through gymnastics.
Yamaner E, Bal Ö, Girgin M, Aktaş K, Kaya NG et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether a structured gymnastics program could improve social-emotional and behavioral skills in preschool children aged 4-5 years in Turkey. Twenty children participated in eight weeks of basic gymnastics education while twenty others continued with regular preschool activities. Children in the gymnastics program showed significantly better self-regulation, emotion regulation, and social competence compared to the control group, with moderate to large effect sizes. Parents also reported improvements in emotional awareness, self-control, and social interaction skills.
Key points
- Experimental group achieved significantly higher scores in self-regulation, emotion regulation, and social competence compared to control group (all p < .05)
- Effect sizes ranged from moderate to large (r = .46-0.82), indicating meaningful intervention effects
- Within-group improvements in experimental group were substantial across all measured variables from pretest to posttest (r > .80)
- Qualitative findings from parent interviews identified themes of improved emotional awareness, self-control, social interaction, and behavioral regulation
- Baseline groups were comparable with no significant differences in outcome variables at pretest (all p > .05; d < 0.20)
Limitations
The study used convenience sampling based on existing classroom structure rather than random assignment, which may introduce bias. The small sample size of 40 children and short intervention period of eight weeks limit generalizability and long-term effect assessment.
Abstract
Background This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a structured basic gymnastics education program on the social-emotional and behavioral skills of preschool children. The study sample consisted of 40 typically developing children aged 48-69 months who were enrolled in private early childhood education institutions in Çorum province, Türkiye. Methods A mixed-method research design was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative component adopted a pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design, whereas the qualitative component was conducted using a case study approach. The experimental group (n = 20) participated in an eight-week structured basic gymnastics education program, whereas the control group (n = 20) continued with the regular preschool curriculum without additional intervention. Group assignment was based on existing classroom structure. Quantitative data were collected through teacher-reported measures, including the Self-Regulation Skills Scale, the Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Social Competence and Behavior Assessment Scale. Qualitative data were obtained via semi-structured interviews with parents. Quantitative analyses were performed using SPSS software. Data normality was examined using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and depending on distributional assumptions, independent samples t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were applied. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d for parametric analyses and r coefficients for nonparametric analyses. Results Quantitative findings indicated no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups at baseline across all outcome variables (all p > .05; d < 0.20), confirming baseline comparability. Posttest comparisons revealed that children in the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores in self-regulation, emotion regulation, and social competence compared to those in the control group (all p < .05). The associated effect sizes ranged from moderate to large (r = .46-0.82), indicating meaningful intervention effects. Within-group analyses further demonstrated significant and substantial improvements across all measured variables in the experimental group from pretest to posttest (all p < .05; r > .80). Consistent with these quantitative findings, qualitative analyses identified themes reflecting notable improvements in children's emotional awareness, self-control, social interaction, and behavioral regulation skills. Conclusions The findings suggest that basic gymnastics education represents an effective intervention for supporting the social-emotional and behavioral development of preschool children.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Structured basic gymnastics education program delivered over eight weeks
- Population
- 40 typically developing children aged 48-69 months in private early childhood education institutions in Çorum province, Türkiye
Key finding
Experimental group achieved significantly higher posttest scores in self-regulation, emotion regulation, and social competence compared to control group (all p < .05)