Stress is a problem for many children in our society. Previous research has shown how yoga can be used to help reduce stress levels. Twenty-seven fourth- and fifth-grade students from an urban elementary school participated in a three-week yoga unit during their physical education class, as a stress management unit. Using a repeated measures design, the participants’ self-perceived stress level, stress coping skills, and perception of yoga was measured. The current study found no significant change in the participants’ self-perceived stress level or stress coping skills after the yoga implementation. There was a significant change in student perceptions of yoga as both physical activity and for relaxation purposes. During the pre-test, 41.8 % of participants viewed yoga as both physical activity and relaxation; this number increased to 77.8% at the post-test six weeks later.
","abstract_html":"<p>Stress is a problem for many children in our society. Previous research has shown how yoga can be used to help reduce stress levels. Twenty-seven fourth- and fifth-grade students from an urban elementary school participated in a three-week yoga unit during their physical education class, as a stress management unit. Using a repeated measures design, the participants’ self-perceived stress level, stress coping skills, and perception of yoga was measured. The current study found no significant change in the participants’ self-perceived stress level or stress coping skills after the yoga implementation. There was a significant change in student perceptions of yoga as both physical activity and for relaxation purposes. During the pre-test, 41.8 % of participants viewed yoga as both physical activity and relaxation; this number increased to 77.8% at the post-test six weeks later.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Smith-Vogtmann, Holly"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Health Promotion and Human Performance","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Roberta Faust, Ph.D., Chair","Brenda Riemer, Ph.D.","Joan Cowdery, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2009-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:36Z","subjects":["Yoga","Stress management for children","Kinesiology","Life Sciences","Psychology of Movement"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/246","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Roberta Faust, Ph.D., Chair","Brenda Riemer, Ph.D.","Joan Cowdery, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Smith-Vogtmann, Holly"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Health Promotion and Human Performance"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Yoga","Stress management for children","Kinesiology","Life Sciences","Psychology of Movement"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/246"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Stress is a problem for many children in our society. Previous research has shown how yoga can be used to help reduce stress levels. Twenty-seven fourth- and fifth-grade students from an urban elementary school participated in a three-week yoga unit during their physical education class, as a stress management unit. Using a repeated measures design, the participants’ self-perceived stress level, stress coping skills, and perception of yoga was measured. The current study found no significant change in the participants’ self-perceived stress level or stress coping skills after the yoga implementation. There was a significant change in student perceptions of yoga as both physical activity and for relaxation purposes. During the pre-test, 41.8 % of participants viewed yoga as both physical activity and relaxation; this number increased to 77.8% at the post-test six weeks later.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The effects of yoga on children’s self-perceived stress and coping abilities"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Roberta Faust, Ph.D., Chair","Brenda Riemer, Ph.D.","Joan Cowdery, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Smith-Vogtmann, Holly"],"dc:description.abstract":["Stress is a problem for many children in our society. Previous research has shown how yoga can be used to help reduce stress levels. Twenty-seven fourth- and fifth-grade students from an urban elementary school participated in a three-week yoga unit during their physical education class, as a stress management unit. Using a repeated measures design, the participants’ self-perceived stress level, stress coping skills, and perception of yoga was measured. The current study found no significant change in the participants’ self-perceived stress level or stress coping skills after the yoga implementation. There was a significant change in student perceptions of yoga as both physical activity and for relaxation purposes. During the pre-test, 41.8 % of participants viewed yoga as both physical activity and relaxation; this number increased to 77.8% at the post-test six weeks later.
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