The SER Model
Our Approach
Through her PhD research, “Mother May I Swim,” Dr. Rakhu examined in-depth the reasons why the majority of African American parents and their children don’t swim. After working closely with dozens of families, Dr. Rakhu developed the Swim-Efficacy Reclamation (SER) Model (™), an innovative new way to achieve swim confidence in the context of African American culture. Dr. Rakhu identified five stages of swim confidence development — Reflect, Reconcile, Reassess, Respond, and Reform — that encourages a continuous and repetitive flow of each stage to achieve effective swim training. A positive affirmation accompanies each stage to encourage cognitive changes associated with the behavioral changes.
Aquatic institutions can use the SER model to create culturally relevant programming that is engaging and effective for African American and other diverse communities. This theoretical framework can also inform future investigations into effective learn-to-swim interventions specific to African American women.