Evaluation of inexperienced pre-school teachers’ implementation of a 16-week perceptual-motor development programme in a lowresourced South African community

Abstract

Previous research has reported higher percentages of at-risk development among children growing up in low-resourced communities, especially in perceptual-motor abilities. Such deficits can seriously hamper the acquisition of early literacy and numeracy necessary for formal school entry, while compromising the health and well-being of pre-schoolers due to physical inactivity. This study investigated whether pre-school teachers from a low resourced community, with no experience in conducting perceptual motor development programmes, can successfully implement a tailor-made intervention after a training workshop. By understanding the limitations that teachers have to design and deliver perceptual-motor programmes to pre-school children, possible solutions can be found to overcome the barriers and to maximise the perceptual-motor development of such children. Teachers presented a tailor-made perceptual-motor programme to 3- to 5-year-old preschoolers (n=44) after receiving a two-day training. The participants were, divided into an intervention group (n=31) that participated in the programme once a week for 16 weeks, and compared during a pre-, post- and retention test with a control group (n=21), using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2). Monthly on-site monitoring visits, as well as a focus group reflection after completing the programme, were used to identify problems that the teachers experienced during programme delivery. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and ANOVA (analysis of variance). Limited intervention effects were found. Although teacher buy-in was reported, many challenges were experienced, mainly due to the teachers’ low knowledge of the subject matter. Frequent and ongoing hands-on support by means of remedial support is essential, while also focusing on establishing key behaviours of effective programme delivery during training.