Active breaks, selective attention, behaviour and coexistence in secondary education students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53591/riaf.v4i2.3373Keywords:
Pausas activas; atención selectiva; comportamiento; convivencia escolar; actividad física.Abstract
Abstract: Introduction: sedentary behaviour and long sitting periods in the classroom affect students' attention, behaviour and coexistence, whereas active breaks are a brief, low-cost strategy to introduce movement during lessons. Objective: to assess the incidence of an active-breaks programme on selective attention, behaviour and school coexistence among secondary education students. Materials and methods: a quasi-experimental design with two groups and pre- and post-measurements was used over eight weeks. Two hundred tenth- and eleventh-grade students participated and were assigned to an experimental group and a control group. Selective attention was assessed with a cancellation test, behaviour with a difficulties questionnaire, and coexistence with a school-coexistence scale. Analyses of covariance, mixed analyses of variance, effect sizes with confidence intervals and power analysis were applied. Results: the experimental group showed significantly greater improvements than the control group in the three variables, with significant group-by-time interactions and moderate effect sizes. Improved attention and reduced behavioural difficulties were associated with better coexistence. Conclusions: the results, derived from simulated data for methodological purposes, suggest that active breaks could favourably affect selective attention, behaviour and school coexistence, although studies with empirical data are required to confirm these trends.
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