Stretching the Mind: The Effect of Yoga on Children's Imagination and Creative Thinking

NCT07798817 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: sinopUyasemin-3
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background: This study was conducted to examine the effect of a yoga-based intervention program on children's imagination and creative thinking. Methods: The study was conducted using a randomized controlled experimental design. A total of 60 eighth-grade middle school students participated in the study, with 30 assigned to the experimental group and 30 to the control group. The experimental group received structured yoga sessions twice a week for eight weeks (45 minutes per session), while the control group received no yoga-based intervention and continued routine educational activities. The Dual Facet Imagination Scale (DFIS) and the Creative Thinking Tendencies Scale (CTTS) were used as data collection instruments. Pre-test and post-test assessments were conducted in both groups. Data were analyzed using independent-samples and paired-samples t-tests and repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate changes in imagination and creative thinking outcomes. Keywords: Yoga, Creativity, Mindfulness, Imagination, Mental Flexibility

Conditions

Imagination; Creative Thinking

Keywords

Yoga; Creativity; Imagination

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• A Personal Information Form

  A Personal Information Form was used to collect participants' sociodemographic characteristics. The form included questions regarding participants' age, gender, and other relevant sociodemographic characteristics. The information obtained from the form was used to describe the study sample and to assess the baseline comparability of the experimental and control groups.

  first week

• The Dual Facet Imagination Scale (DFIS)

  This scale was used to measure the children's levels of imagination. It assesses individuals' mental imagery and creative capacity. The DFIS measures both general imagination and its two subdimensions: "experiential simulation" and "conceptual innovation". Experiential simulation is particularly associated with a predisposition toward imagination/fantasy and rich emotional/sensory experiences; it refers to the mental recreation of sensory experiences that do not currently exist. Conceptual innovation is associated with intellectual engagement and idea generation; it refers to the production of new ideas independent of contextual cues. The scale consists of a total of 16 items. There are no reverse-scored items. The sum of all scale items (1-16) yields the general imagination score. The sum of items 1 through 8 yields the experiential simulation subscale score, while the sum of items 9 through 16 yields the conceptual innovation subscale score (Ay \& Soyer, 2025). The Dual Facet Imagina

  8 week

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Creative Thinking Tendencies Scale (CTTS)

  8 week

Study Arms (2)

Yoga-Based Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group received the yoga-based intervention program for the predetermined intervention period.

Behavioral: Yoga-Based Intervention Program

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this group continued their routine educational activities and did not receive the yoga-based intervention.

Interventions

Yoga-Based Intervention Program BEHAVIORAL

The intervention consisted of a structured, age-appropriate yoga-based program for eighth-grade middle school students. The program was implemented for 8 weeks with participants assigned to the experimental group. The intervention was designed to support participants' imagination and creative thinking through yoga-based activities. Participants in the experimental group received the yoga-based intervention in addition to their regular educational activities, while participants in the control group continued their routine educational activities without receiving the intervention.

Yoga-Based Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 14 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Being an eighth-grade middle school student.
• Being enrolled in one of the two classes selected for the study.
• Meeting the age requirements specified in the study protocol.
• Voluntarily agreeing to participate in the study.
• Having the necessary parental/guardian consent to participate.
• Being able to understand and follow the instructions given during the study.
• Being able to participate in the yoga-based intervention program.
• Completing the required pre-test assessments.

You may not qualify if:

• Not meeting the age or educational-level requirements of the study.
• Declining to participate in the study or withdrawing consent.
• Having a condition that prevents participation in the yoga-based intervention.
• Being unable to follow the instructions or participate in the intervention activities.
• Failing to complete the required baseline (pre-test) assessments.
• Withdrawing from the study before completion of the intervention or post-test assessment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sinop University: lead

Study Sites (1)

A Public Middle School

Sinop, Sinop, 57000, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Officials

• Yasemin Özyer Güvener

  Sinop University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants and intervention providers were not masked due to the nature of the yoga-based intervention. Outcome assessment and statistical analyses were performed using coded datasets. No additional study personnel or parties were masked.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: Participants were assigned to two parallel groups using class-level cluster randomization. One class was assigned to the experimental group (n=30), which received the yoga-based intervention program, and the other class was assigned to the control group (n=30), which continued routine educational activities. Both groups completed pre-test assessments before the intervention and post-test assessments after completion of the intervention period. The groups were followed concurrently throughout the study, and changes in imagination and creative thinking outcomes were compared within and between the groups.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 21, 2026
• First Posted: September 1, 2026
• Study Start: January 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2026
• Study Completion: April 1, 2026
• Last Updated: September 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)