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Stability Balls and Student on-Task Behavior

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Abstract

Stability balls have become a common option for alternative seating in classrooms. While the social validity of stability ball classroom seating remains high among students and teachers, findings on the effectiveness of this alternative seating method are mixed. This is particularly true when the intent of the intervention is to increase student on-task behavior. This study examined the effects of stability ball seating on students’ on-task behavior in a general education setting, using a within-subjects repeated measures design. Researchers observed twenty-four third-grade students in a public-school classroom across three conditions: all chairs, all balls, or choice. Across observation days, the study controlled for time of day, teacher, and classroom environment. Results indicate students are on-task less frequently when sitting on a stability ball. Student reports on social validity replicated prior findings; students found the stability ball to be desirable and easy to use.

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Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy/ethical restrictions associated with the student participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of School Psychology, University of Northern Colorado, 501 20th St, Campus Box 131, Greeley, CO, 80639, USA

    David M. Hulac, Lisa R. Mickelson, Helen Maroeca, Caitlyn Hartjes, Kaitlin Anderson & Kayla Ederveen

  2. Department of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

    Amy M. Briesch

Authors
  1. David M. Hulac
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  2. Lisa R. Mickelson
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  3. Amy M. Briesch
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  4. Helen Maroeca
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  5. Caitlyn Hartjes
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  6. Kaitlin Anderson
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Correspondence to David M. Hulac.

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Hulac, D.M., Mickelson, L.R., Briesch, A.M. et al. Stability Balls and Student on-Task Behavior. J Behav Educ 31, 543–560 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-020-09412-3

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