Improving Community-Based Preschool-Teacher Confidence to Create Motor-Enriched Classrooms

Children are entering kindergarten without the motor skills needed to be successful in the academic environment, and preschool environments should focus on motor skill development (Dinehart & Manfra, 2013; Marr, Cermak, Cohn, & Henderson, 2003). The purpose of this project is to provide a consultative model for occupational therapy practitioners to use with community-based preschool settings to build teacher confidence and increase knowledge related to developing student motor skills. The evidence-based practice question for this project was “Does consultation on fine motor developmental play increase a preschool teacher’s self-rated competency in creating developmental motor enriched environments?”

A pre- and post-test mixed-method design was used to measure the change in preschool teachers’ self-rated confidence on knowledge of motor skills needed for prewriting and use of the Learning Without Tears™ Get Set for School Check Readiness Pre-K Assessment (preschool screener). Qualitative data included one posttest open-ended question. Participants recruited from a faith-based community half-day preschool participated in the project. Five teachers assigned to the three and four-year-old classrooms, and the site administrator participated in weekly units focused on motor education (n=6). Sessions included one hour of individualized teacher consultative time weekly

Quantitative data analysis included the use of Excel data tools to compute and graph the percentage of change in the author created 5-point Likert pretest and posttest surveys. Qualitative analysis was used to determine themes and trends in participant’s learning based on an open-ended question on the posttest.

After the intervention, data showed improved confidence and knowledge on all posttest questions. Teacher responses demonstrated improvement in confidence and understanding, moving from “Somewhat Agree” to a “Strongly Agree” post-intervention. The average percentage of change was 53% with a range of 27% to 67%. Post-intervention scores on questions regarding preschool screener moved from “Disagree” to “Agree” indicating that preschool teachers understood the benefits and felt confident using the preschool screener tool, and sensed the tool could assist them to create activities to strengthen the motor skills of their students. Changes indicated that the intervention was successful to help teachers understand and gain the confidence to create motor activities to build the motor skills of their students.

Qualitative themes included teachers learning to recognize student skill level and understanding motor development. Teachers also, indicated they understood how to develop activities and create motor experiences in their classrooms.

The project supports findings that to be successful, consultation needs to include time in the classroom, an understanding of the teacher’s routines, and building a relationship with the teacher (Truong & Hodgetts, 2017). Consultation proved to be an effective method to create changes in classroom environments (Villeneuve, 2009). Emphasis on whole child development sets this series apart from other programs that focus on pieces but not the whole child.

IMPACT STATEMENT: The project outcomes suggest a need for school-based OT practitioners to immerse themselves in the classroom to heighten the impact of their consultative services to support the teacher who creates the learning environment. The relationship established between the implementer and preschool teachers was the key to environmental change. Finally, community-based practice is needed, and community-based preschools should be considered an emerging focus area for occupational therapy.

References

Dinehart, L., & Manfra, L. (2013). Associations between low-income children’s fine motor skills in preschool and academic performance in second grade. Early Education and Development, 24, 138–161.

Marr, D., Cermak, S., Cohn, E. S., & Henderson, A. (2003). Fine motor activities in head start and kindergarten classrooms. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57, 550–557. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.57.5.550

Truong, V., & Hodgetts, S. (2017). An exploration of teacher perceptions toward occupational therapy and occupational therapy practices: A scoping review. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 10(2), 121–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2017.1304840

Villeneuve, M. (2009). A critical examination of school-based occupational therapy collaborative consultation. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. Revue Canadienne D’ergotherapie, 76 Spec No, 206–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841740907600s05