Active Breaks and Executive Function in Scholars

NCT07538453 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: PID2023-148956OB-I00CEISH/21/2025
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 114
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to examine whether short bouts of exercise (10 minutes) performed during the school day can improve thinking skills, creativity and emotional wellbeing in primary school children. Specifically, children aged 11-12 years will be randomly assigned to perform either a short aerobic exercise break, a strength-based exercise break, or a seated control activity. The study will evaluate how these 10 minutes activity breaks influence attention, working memory, creativity, and emotional wellbeing state after completing cognitively demanding tasks. The findings will help to identify effective strategies to integrate physical activity into the classroom to enhance learning and overall well-being in school settings.

Conditions

Creativity; Executive Function (Cognition); Psychological Wellbeing

Keywords

cognition; attention; creativity; exercise; memory; sedentarism; physical activity; Inhibition; emotions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Self-perceived emotional state

  Assessed using a paper-based measure following the Russell's circumplex model of affect, which conceptualizes emotions according to two primary dimensions: activation level (0 = low to 10 = high) and well-being or happiness level (0 = low to 10 = high).

  Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).

• Executive Function

  The Eriksen Flanker Task and forward and backward digit span tests will be administered online and in paper format, respectively.

  Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).

• Creativity

  Guilford's divergent thinking test will be administered in paper format.

  Example assessment timeline: baseline assessment (9:00 a.m.); pre-intervention assessment (following cognitively demanding tasks; 10:00 a.m.); and post-intervention assessment (immediately after the active break protocol; 10:25 a.m.).

Secondary Outcomes (19)

• Socioeconomic status

  Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

• Sleep Pattern

  Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

• Self-reported Physical Fitness

  Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

• Diet Pattern

  Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

• Physical Activity Enjoyment

  Measured once (one-week before the intervention)

Other Outcomes (2)

• Heart Rate

  During the experimental condition, which will last 10 minutes.

• Rating of Perceived Exertion

  During the experimental condition, which will last 10 minutes.

Study Arms (3)

Rest Break

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control group will remain seated while watching a silent video with low cognitive load and without verbal interaction for 10 min.

Strength Active Break

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the exercise strength group will perform a vigorous-intensity neuromuscular protocol based on a Tabata structure (20 s work / 10 s rest). The session includes two blocks of four exercises targeting upper body, lower body, and core musculature in alternating sequences designed to ensure balanced neuromuscular stimulation while limiting localized fatigue

Other: Active Break

Aerobic Active Break

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the aerobic exercise group will perform continuous cardiovascular exercises at moderate intensity. The main phase will consist of two exercise blocks repeated twice, including four aerobic movements performed for 30 s. Exercise sequencing alternates upper- and lower-body movements to promote whole-body involvement and progressive cardiovascular demand. Within each block, the first minute was performed at a low-to-moderate intensity, whereas the second minute was performed at a slightly higher intensity. This intensity pattern was maintained consistently across block repetitions.

Other: Active Break

Interventions

Active Break OTHER

A 10-min active break format was selected to maximize feasibility within school settings. All conditions followed an identical temporal structure consisting of a 1-min warm-up, an 8-min main activity phase, and a 1-min cool-down delivered through standardized instructional videos that guided students in reproducing and observing the correct technique and execution of the exercises.

Aerobic Active Break; Strength Active Break

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 11 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Students enrolled in the 5th and 6th grades of primary education in the city of Castellón, with continuous academic progression and no history of grade retention.
• Students without diagnosed physical, neurological, or cognitive disorders.

You may not qualify if:

• Students with a history of grade retention.
• Students with diagnosed learning difficulties or neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Students presenting any medical or psychiatric disease.
• Students undergoing chronic pharmacological treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universitat Jaume I: lead

Study Sites (1)

Universitat Jaume I

Castellon, Castellón, 12071, Spain

RECRUITING

Related Links

• Research group web page
• Access to Dr. Diego Moliner-Urdiales' profile within the University Jaume I

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity; Inhibition, Psychological

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Diego Moliner-Urdiales, PhD

  Universitat Jaume I

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Diego Moliner-Urdiales, PhD

CONTACT

+34 964 729782; dmoliner@uji.es

Carlos Babiloni-Lopez, PhD

CONTACT

+34 964 729840; cbabilon@uji.es

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Researchers responsible for outcomes assessment, data processing, and statistical analyses will remain blinded throughout the study
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Full Professor

Model Details: This study is a three-arm randomized controlled trial with a parallel-group design. Participants will be randomly allocated to one out of three groups: an aerobic exercise active break, a strength-based active break, or a non exercise group (control condition). Outcomes will be assessed at 3 time points (baseline, post-cognitive fatigue, and post-intervention) to evaluate the acute effects of the intervention.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 1, 2026
• First Posted: April 20, 2026
• Study Start: March 26, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Last Updated: April 20, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

ES (1)