Classroom break physical activities and students' active engagement

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of a program with classroom-based physical activity breaks on enjoyment, goal orientations, motivational climate, anxiety, behavioral and emotional engagement as... [ view full abstract ]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of a program with classroom-based physical activity breaks on enjoyment, goal orientations, motivational climate, anxiety, behavioral and emotional engagement as well as behavioral and emotional dissatisfaction of students in in the last three grades of primary school (4^th, 5^th 6^th grade). The survey involved 346 students (160 boys and 186 girls), aged 10 to 12 years old (Μ_age = 11.32 ± .76). The experimental group (N = 130), participated in an intervention that included daily physical activities (motor skill oriented but interdisciplinary too) in the classroom lasting for ten minutes for 8 weeks, whereas the control group (N = 216) followed the typical school program. Students completed questionnaires before and after the intervention period while teachers of the experimental group were interviewed after the end of the intervention. All scales had acceptable levels of internal consistency (α>.60). Data processing included analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), correlations and regression analysis. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in task orientation (p <.05), mastery motivational climate (p <.05), enjoyment (p <.05), and effort (p <.05). There were statistically significant correlations between behavioral and emotional engagement (p< .001), and between behavioral and emotional dissatisfaction too (p< .001). Findings from the analysis of the qualitative data indicated that teachers prefer activity breaks that are easy to manage, quick, academically oriented and enjoyable for students. The results clearly emphasize the benefits of using classroom break physical activities in students’ academic engagement and the need to educate generalist teachers to use it appropriately in their classrooms.