Poster #4 - “I Need a Break!”: The Effect of Short Movement Breaks on Children’s Attention and Learning

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Attention, Learning, Memory

Integrative Statement

Elementary students are frequently off-task (Godwin et al., 2016), due in part to the elongated developmental trajectory of attention (Ruff & Rothbart, 2001). Recurrent attentional failures may hinder academic success, as learning is hypothesized to be related to the amount of time children spend engaged in instructional tasks (Carroll, 1963). One potential strategy to increase time on-task is to provide movement breaks in-between instructional activities. Movement breaks are hypothesized to mitigate off-task behavior by increasing attention and are posited to facilitate cognitive performance and achievement (Best, 2012). However, existing findings are ambiguous, with numerous definitions of what constitutes a movement break, and effect sizes are variable (Resaland et al., 2016). The present study systematically investigated whether movement breaks lead to improved attention and learning using a within-subject design and direct measures of attention and learning.

Forty-four children (second- through fourth-grade, Mage=8.98 years, SD=.69) participated in two sessions in which they completed either a movement or control break in-between learning activities. Each session began with participants listening to a non-fiction story (5min attention baseline). Participants then completed either a movement (10min of calisthenics) or control break (10min educational videos), counterbalanced across sessions. The experimenter completed the movement break with participants to model exercises and control tempo. Following the break, participants completed a paired-associates task (PAL) to measure the effect of break type on learning. Two PAL versions were created and counterbalanced across conditions. In the PAL task, participants learned to associate nine novel animal pictures with their corresponding labels. An immediate post-test (recognition/recall) assessed learning. Testing sessions were recorded for coding purposes. Participants’ on- and off-task behavior (based on eye-gaze) was coded, and the proportion of on-task behavior was calculated at baseline and post-manipulation (i.e., during the PAL learning phase) (Cohen’s Kappa=.93).

Preliminary results provide mixed support for the use of movement breaks (Table 1). Participants were largely on-task. Nevertheless, following the movement break on-task behavior increased from baseline (92%) to post-manipulation (95%), although this difference was marginally significant (p=.08). No significant improvement in attention was observed in the control condition (p=.73). Learning occurred across conditions; recognition post-test scores (Ms≥65%) were significantly above chance (25%; ps≤.001) and exceeded pre-test performance (Ms≤33%; ps≤.0001). However, recognition post-test scores did not differ as a function of condition (p=.29). In contrast, movement breaks benefited recall performance. Recall was higher in the movement condition (M=36%) than in the control (M=29%); though, this effect was marginally significant (p=.07) and recall accuracy was generally low.

Movement breaks showed some small benefits for attention and recall in a laboratory setting. A laboratory study allows for experimental manipulation, tight control of learning tasks, and collection of online attention measures—all critical to assessing the effectiveness of movement breaks. However, laboratory settings pose fewer demands on children’s attention compared to typical classrooms, as common sources of distraction (e.g., peers, engaging décor) are absent. Work is underway to increase attentional demands in the testing environment to better approximate classroom conditions providing greater insight into the utility of movement breaks for children.

Authors

• Grace Murray, Kent State University
  Presenting Author

• Karrie E Godwin, Kent State University
  Non-Presenting Author