Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license

Authors

1 Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Humanities, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.

2 Associated professor, Department of Motor Behavior Sports Science, Faculty of Humanities, Semnan University Semnan, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effect of brain breaks on academic progress, self-efficacy, and interest in physical activity of primary school students.
Methods: The current research was a quasi-experimental type with a pre-test, post-test, and control group design. Its statistical population included fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade female students. Using the cluster random sampling method, 127 students were selected as the research sample and were assigned to two intervention and control groups through a simple random method. To collect data, the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (Morris, 2001) and the Children’s Attraction to Physical Activity questionnaire (Rose et al., 2009), and a researcher-made questionnaire for the educational progress of the participants were used. The intervention group performed brain breaks physical activities twice a day and three days a week for four months, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were evaluated using an independent t-test.
Results: Data analysis indicated that after the intervention (brain breaks), the average scores of the experimental group for three variables of academic achievement (F=3.57, P=0.001), self-efficacy (F=7.65, P=0.001), and interest in physical activity (F=10.72, P=0.001) had a significant difference compared with the control group.
Conclusion: These findings can highlight the need for planners and education officials to pay attention to the importance of the role of brain breaks activities in improving academic progress, self-efficacy, and its effect on the level of interest in physical activities of primary school girls.

Keywords

Emeljanovas, A., Mieziene, B., Mok, M. M. C., Chin, M.-k., Cesnaitiene, V. J., Fatkulina, N., Trinkuniene, L., Sánchez, G. F. L., & Suárez, A. D. (2018). The effect of an interactive program during school breaks on attitudes toward physical activity in primary school children. Anales de psicología, 34 (3), 586-580. .http://dx.doi.org/10.6018/analesps.34.3.326801
Jackson, J. W. (2002). Enhancing self-efficacy and learning performance. The journal of experimental education, 7.254-253,(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/00220970209599508.
 Mahar, M., Kenny R., Shields, T., Scales, D., Collins, G. (2006). Energizers : Classroom-based Physical Activities K-2. Kinesiology. http://hdl.handle.net/10342/5943.
Mok, M. M. C., Chin, M.-K., Korcz, A., Popeska, B., Edginton, C. R., Uzunoz, F. S., Podnar, H., Coetzee, D., Georgescu, L., & Emeljanovas, A. (2020). Brain breaks® physical activity solutions in the classroom and on attitudes toward physical activity: A randomized controlled trial among primary students from eight countries. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(5), 1666. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051666.
Zovar T, Masrabadi J, Amirian L. (2016). The effectiveness of drawing group conceptual maps on the cognitive-emotional indicators of chemistry course. Educational Psychology Quarterly, 12(41), 59-78. https://doi.org/10.22054/jep.2016.7019 .(In Persian)