Psychological effects of different active break modalities during university classes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v82.117892Keywords:
Attention, mental fatigue , mood, motivation, university studentsAbstract
Introduction: Despite growing evidence of the benefits of active breaks, research in university populations remains limited.
Objective: To investigate the impact of various active break types on motivation, attention, mood, and mental fatigue in university students.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental design with repeated pre- and post-test measurements was conducted. Participants were undergraduate students with a mean age of 19.86 years (SD = 1.62). They attended 10 weeks of sessions that either incorporated or omitted short active breaks lasting 3–5 minutes. These breaks included active games, yoga-based stretching, high-intensity interval exercises, and dance routines. The outcomes: mood, mental fatigue, attention, and motivation, were assessed using Visual Analogue Scales administered at three time points during each session. Linear mixed-effects models and Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons were performed.
Results: Analyses showed significant Condition × Time interactions for motivation (p<0.001), attention (p<0.001), and mental fatigue (p=0.003), but not mood (p=0.168). Compared with no active break, dance produced higher motivation and attention and lower mental fatigue at mid-class, with attention remaining higher at the end of the class. Games resulted in higher motivation and attention at both mid-class and end-class. Yoga showed higher motivation and attention at mid-class, whereas HIIT only produced higher motivation at mid-class. No significant differences were found for mood, among active-break modalities, or according to sex.
Conclusion: Active breaks were associated with favourable acute effects on motivation, attention, and mental fatigue during university classes. Although the pattern of significant outcomes varied across modalities, none was significantly superior to the others.
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