Dr. Jimerson and the POP Stars

Decorated in blue UCSB sun hats, over 120 undergraduate psychology students fan out through elementary school playgrounds to study POP in action every week. Since its genesis, the researchers have observed the physiological effects of what Erble and Brown proclaimed — POP is a powerful tool. 

 

Shane Jimerson, a professor at UCSB in the Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology department, and author of over 400 publications, conducts research with local Santa Barbara schools studying this emerging concept in early school settings. 

 

For the past 12 years, Jimerson has implemented the ‘Power of Play,’ a course at UCSB where students, known as POP stars (or more technically as playground specialists), facilitate recess at local elementary schools. 

 

“When I started out, [Isla Vista Elementary] was having challenges with aggressive behavior and bullying from kids,” Jimerson said. “Recess is a period of the day where those challenging behaviors are most likely to surface.”

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

In just the first year, administrators began noticing dramatic changes in the children at Isla Vista Elementary. According to initial research, the principal's office referrals declined from 45 to 12 in just one school year. 

​

 

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

 

Years of collecting data on the playground led Jimerson and the ‘POP stars’ to the causes of such a drastic change: the style of play began enhancing executive function and self-regulation skills of the students outside the playground. 

 

“The teachers' feedback was amazing. Based on the data we collected, for example,  children would come back to the classroom ready to learn as opposed to having to spend 20 minutes debriefing whatever just happened at recess,” Jimerson said.  

    

Time outside or playing with other kids is also valued among many parents at IV Elementary. According to Stephanie Rodriguez, mother to a third-grader at the school, parents need to be intentional about prioritizing activity and play for their children. 

 

“Kids don’t naturally play in the same ways we used to. There’s distraction, more pressure on kids, and this new element of screens that we weren’t hit with,” Rodriguez said. 

    

Massachusetts Institute of Technology documented this trend, asserting in a recent study that children spend 50 percent less time in unstructured outdoor activities compared to the 1970s. 

    

“[My son] raves about the POP stars at recess. Having someone in that role to help the kids get the most out of that time, being active and social, is reassuring,” Rodriguez said.   

 

Rodriguez enrolls her son in a variety of after school programs. He goes to Lobster Jo’s Art Camp and Ocean Explorer’s Camp in downtown Santa Barbara. 

 

“I feel like playing sports and doing random kid stuff in my neighborhood is how I figured the world out. When we’re young, it’s where we learn the things we don’t get from books,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve been super intentional about getting my son to love the outdoors and definitely seen how he’s grown from it.”

 

 Since the pilot year in 2010, Jimerson’s POP program has grown from 10 to over 120 undergraduates this year. 

 

“We’ve seen upticks in prosocial engagement and decreases in antisocial behavior. Pretty much across the board we saw transformations in the environment at school,” Dr. Jimerson said. 

 

UCSB psychology student Jenny Kroeger served as a playground specialist for two terms. Following her graduation, Kroeger will attend University of Southern California to pursue a doctorate in occupational therapy. 

 

Beyond numbers, Kroeger witnessed how her training and presence changed the demeanor of students she worked with. 

 

“One day, I started a hockey game. Slowly, all the kids from the edges of the playground started to gather. Everyone played together,” Kroeger said. “As trivial as it sounds, that means the world to some kids and their families who are bullied or struggle with antisocial behaviors.”