A mixed method research on the evaluation of psychomotricity teacher training program with the teachers: SOYAC model

Within the scope of the Playmaker Teacher Training Support Project with Innovative Play Suitcase which aims to support teachers in the classroom with play-based training, the Psychomotricity Teacher Training Program was offered to two different groups of teachers in June 2022 and September 2022 by Research and Application Centre for Children Living and Working on the Streets (SOYAC). A study with a mixed research design was conducted to evaluate the training program. The research participants comprised 71 teachers from different levels and branches who participated in the training program and worked in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul. In the quantitative part of the research, a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was applied for both trainings separately. Participants were given the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire- Short Form (FFMQ-S), the Emotion Regulation Skills Questionnaire (ERSQ), and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness-II (MAIA-II). For analysis of data, the Paired Sample T-Test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test were conducted. The findings of the research showed that there was a statistically significant increase in the participants' emotional regulation skills levels in both trainings and there was no statistically significant change in mindfulness levels. In the training conducted in June 2022, a statistically significant change was found in the 8 subscales of MAIA- II; in the training conducted in September 2022, a statistically significant change was found in the 4 subscales of MAIA- II. In the qualitative part of the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 volunteer teachers. The findings of the interpretive phenomenological analysis showed that teachers' inclusive classroom skills have improved, teachers were more sensitive to the social and emotional needs of their students, they have acquired psychomotor-based tools to apply in the classroom, and teachers were supported psychosocially and professionally through the training program. Quantitative and qualitative findings of the research were evaluated within the scope of the relevant literature. Keywords: psychomotricity, interoception, emotional regulation strategies, mindfulness, teacher – student relationship