The Effects of Active Breaks on Primary School Students’ Attentional Processes and Motivational Regulation

Introduction/objective: Engaging in physical activity (PA) is considered a very costeffective way of improving neurocognitive function. Both moderate-intensity and short-duration vigorous PA have positive effects on brain function, cognition, and academic performance during childhood. The aim of the present study was to analyse the effect of active breaks (AB) on students’ attention and motivation, as well as to examine possible sex and grade differences. Method: 215 students (119 girls) from grade 2 to 6 of primary school, aged 7-13 years (M = 9.18; SD = 1.55), distributed between an experimental group (n = 108; 62 girls) and a control groupl (n = 107; 57 girls) participated. A quasi-experimental design with pre-post measurements and quantitative methodology was used. The experimental group underwent an AB programme (20-30/week; 2-5 minutes per active break). Se utilizó el Test de caras-R y el PLOC adaptado. Results: The results for attention showed significant differences between groups only in 3rd grade, where the programme was based on vigorous intensity AB starring the students. The experimental group reported high levels of self-determined motivation. Younger grades were more self-determined. Conclusions: Vigorous AB can have positive effects on students’ attention and self-determined motivation.