LEADERSHIP EDUCATION THROUGH ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT (LEAD)

OVERVIEW

Leadership Education Through Athletic Development (LEAD) is a school-based martial arts training program intended to increase students’ self-regulation skills.  In an experimental study in which random assignment was done by home room, students assigned to take traditional physical education classes were compared with students assigned to take LEAD classes instead.  Following the 4-month, 26-session intervention, LEAD students showed greater cognitive, affective, and physical self-regulation than did children assigned to the control group.  LEAD students were also rated as more prosocial by their teachers and scored higher on a mental math test.  Program impact was especially strong for boys.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: elementary school students (kindergarteners through 5^th graders)

The Leadership Education Through Athletic Development (LEAD) curriculum is a program born out of the Moo Gong Ryu (Korean for “guardian of peace style”) martial arts system.  LEAD seeks to instill in children a commitment to self-improvement – a progression to higher levels of personal character and physical and mental ability.

Children participating in the LEAD program learn traditional Moo Gong Ryu techniques, such as blocks, kicks, and punches.  Children are taught to use their techniques only to protect themselves and never to hurt another person except when absolutely necessary for self-defense.  Children also learn board-breaking, complete body-stretching, and relaxation through deep breathing.  Emphasis is placed on respect, discipline, and self-control.  Children are encouraged to self-monitor their behavior by asking themselves three questions: Where am I?, What am I doing?, and What should I be doing?  They are reminded that they are responsible for their own behavior, not only in LEAD classes, but also in all aspects of their lives. 

EVALUATION(S)OF PROGRAM

Lakes, K. & Hoyt, W. T.  (2004).  Promoting self-regulation through school-based martial arts training.  Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 25(3), 283-302.

Evaluated population: 207 students at a private lower school in a midsize Midwestern city served as the study sample for this investigation.  Subjects ranged in age from kindergarteners to 5^th graders.  83% of subjects were white, 8% were Asian-American, 2% were black, and the remaining students were of other racial/ethnic backgrounds or did not specify their background.  73% of students were from families with annual incomes of more than $100,000.  Two students left the study because of family relocation and 12 students failed to take part in assessments because of absences (6% attrition), leaving a final study sample of 193 students.

Approach: During the 2000-2001 academic year, homeroom classes were randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the control group.  Control group classes took part in standard physical education classes for the first four months of the school year.  These classes occurred two to three times a week and involved a broad range of fitness activities, physical games, and sports.  For these four months, treatment group classes had their physical education classes replaced by LEAD martial arts instruction.  LEAD classes were led by a martial arts instructor who had held a black belt for more than ten years and had nearly ten years experience instructing children and adults.  Children in LEAD classes were given martial arts uniforms and beginner level belts.

All children were pre-tested during the first four days of the school year.  The intervention began immediately following pre-testing.  Post-testing occurred in late January, after LEAD participants had received 26 45-minute LEAD sessions.

Results: Following the intervention, children assigned to receive the LEAD program showed greater cognitive, affective, and physical self-regulation than did children in homerooms assigned to the control group.  Subgroup analyses revealed that these impacts were significant for boys alone, but not for girls alone.

LEAD students were rated as being significantly more prosocial than control students by their teachers after the intervention.  LEAD students were also rated as having fewer conduct problems than control students, but this difference only approached statistical significance.  For both of these outcomes, the impact was significant for boys alone, but not for girls alone.  LEAD students did not differ significantly from control students on teacher ratings of emotional symptoms, inattention/hyperactivity, or peer problems.

LEAD students did not have greater attention-concentration abilities after the intervention than did control students, as measured by the freedom from distractability subscale of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition.  LEAD students did score significantly better than control students on the arithmetic subtest of this scale, however, indicating that the LEAD program had an impact on students’ mental math abilities.  Once again, this difference was significant for boys alone, but not for girls alone.

Only 4^th and 5^th grade students were assessed on a measure of self-esteem at pre-test and post-test.  LEAD students scored higher on this measure than did control students, but because so few students were assessed on this measure, this difference did not reach statistical significance. 

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

More information on Moo Gong Ryu available at:

http://www.moogong.com/

References:

Lakes, K. & Hoyt, W. T.  (2004).  Promoting self-regulation through school-based martial arts training.  Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 25(3), 283-302.

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant grades: K-5 / Program age ranges in the guide: Middle Childhood

Program components: School-Based

Measured outcomes: Social and Emotional Health, Behavioral Problems

Program information last updated on 8/31/07

© Child Trends 2003