EFFECTS OF INCORPORATION YOGA INTO A CLASSROOM ON STUDENT ENGAGEMENT DURING LITERACY LESSONS by Damia E. Toyras SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS IN EDUCATION AT NORTHERN MICHIGAN

The purpose of this review of literature was to describe yoga and its possible effects on the engagement of students during literacy lessons. The literature reviewed included studies utilizing students in elementary, middle, and high school. The methods used included yoga poses, breathing, relaxation, and positive thoughts. Results and conclusions from the studies indicated that although many of the studies yielded positive results in students, the overall question of whether yoga will increase student engagement is still undetermined. Recommendations for improving the effectiveness of yoga increasing student engagement include performing a study involving a larger group of participants, certified yoga instructors, unbiased data collectors, and a control group for comparison. YOGA WITH LITERACY LESSONS 4 Chapter 1: Introduction Yoga, according to Galantino, Galbavy, and Quinn (2008), can increase our students’ ability to concentrate, focus, and improve memory. Yoga can provide our students a means to handle stress (White, 2009) and can give our students an opportunity to be present in the moment. Yoga can allow our students space to become self-aware and can give them emotional strength, physical strength, and mental strength (Gillen & Gillen, 2007). Incorporating physical activity into the daily lives of our students is essential to their health and wellbeing. School physical education programs have been cut because of curriculum time, funding, or staffing (Metzler, McKenzie, Mars, Barrett-Williams, & Ellis, 2013). Children spend the majority of their school day sitting at desks. Our students need movement to focus their bodies, clear their minds, and prepare to engage in our teachings (Gillen et al., 2007). Schools need to take a leadership role in keeping students physically active. (Turner, Chriqui, & Chaloupka, 2013). One form of physical activity entering schools is yoga. In this paper, I examine research on the possible benefits of incorporating yoga into a school setting as a means to help student engagement.