Efecto del compromiso cognitivo de los descansos activos sobre las funciones ejecutivas y habilidades motoras en Educación Infantil

Abstract

Introduction and objectives- The main objective of this PhD thesis was to design and analyses the influence of active break proposals with varying degrees of cognitive involvement on Executive Functions (EFs) in children in the Second Cycle of Early Childhood Education. Exploring new teaching and learning methods to improve cognitive skills in early educational stages is essential. Currently, studies that focus on interventions involving physical exercise in the classroom indicate that it can have positive consequences on EFs and motor skills. However, it is not clear which specific modality of physical exercise has the greatest effect on EFs. A very recent trend is hypothesizing that physical exercise that requires cognitive involvement could have greater effects on populations that are still in the process of maturation, such as childhood. In this context of analysis, it has been found that the potential benefits of physical exercise with cognitive involvement could be affected by affective states and the use of uncertainty. One possible explanation is that tasks that require motor challenges and difficulties may generate errors in execution, producing momentary negative effects, which can serve as motivators for acquiring adaptations to cognitive conflicts, resulting in better cognitive control. Therefore, the present PhD thesis aims to examine the effects of cognitive involvement in active breaks in the classroom on EFs and perceptual-motor abilities in early childhood. To do this, it starts with the hypothesis that the practice of active breaks with interaction of physical and cognitive demands is beneficial for the motor and cognitive development of students. Methodology- The thesis design was divided into three clearly differentiated studies: two studies with acute effects and one study with an intervention program. The results of each of the three studies were obtained from various validated instruments and/or scales. The thesis also includes a review of active breaks on cognitive skills in early childhood, with the aim of analysing different studies that focus on interventions involving physical exercise in the classroom, both acutely and chronically. The first study aims to analyse the acute effect of active breaks with cognitive involvement during an active break on behavioural self-regulation capacity and the type of cognitive control in Early Childhood Education. A randomized controlled trial was used to address two levels of independent variables. The participants, 49 children aged 4-5 years, were counterbalanced based on the characteristics of the sample in the control variables of physical condition and bicycle skills. The factorial design combined two simple designs, that is, two independent variables (physical load and mental load) were simultaneously manipulated, and one dependent variable (self-regulation) in the same experiment. As a complete factorial design, all possible combinations between the variables were made, so that each combination formed an experimental group, resulting in a 2x2 design that determined three treatment groups (three experimental conditions, and one control condition). In this way, the acute effect of cognitive involvement during physical activity on self-regulation capacity in students was analysed. Crossing the four proposed factors (with physical activity/without physical activity/higher cognitive involvement/lower cognitive involvement) made it clearer which of the four conditions could contribute to better effects in developing self-regulation. The results showed a general effect of the intervention on self-regulation of pre-schoolers, regardless of the difficulty level of the task [F (3) = 11.683, p-value <0.001, η 2 p = 0.438]. However, it seems that only when active breaks stimulated children cognitively with an optimal difficulty level, it was possible to obtain benefits. The second study aimed to validate an active break based on its cognitive and emotional demands to verify its cognitive and affective involvement on students in Early Childhood Education. The task design was also evaluated. Nineteen preschool-aged children aged 5-6 years participated in a playful proposal of Game-Based Learning (GBL) that included elements of gamification through the game "Ghost Blitz in Motion". An exploratory design was used, and affective state and cognitive engagement were evaluated. The results showed that the level of cognitive engagement was high (M = 2.16) as well as the overall enjoyment level (M = 8.16). SWOT and CAME results showed that the methodology used, and the materials constituted a strong motivational element for students, promoting their involvement in the game. The third study analysed the effect of an intervention program "ECOYOGA Active Breaks" on response inhibition, one of the executive functions, and perceptual-motor skills in Early Childhood Education. A quasi-experimental single-case design (n = 1) without a control group was used with a sample of 25 4-year-old children. The intervention was carried out at two points in the school day for a period of 3 weeks (10 Active Breaks per week). The main results showed that the program had a positive impact on students' inhibition capacity, as well as static and dynamic balance. Conclusions- In conclusion, this work has allowed to verify the validity of active breaks that aim to develop students' physical-cognitive abilities and to better adjust them to children's capabilities, improving teaching practices and obtaining higher quality programs. It provides a relevant contribution to research on executive functions in early childhood, proposing new methodologies adapted to the current curriculum and learning environments involving greater quantity and quality of physical-motor content.