Document Type : Original Article
Author
Assistant Professor of Motor Behavior, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Background and Purpose
One of the basic issues of the educational system of any country is academic progress, which is one of the main concerns of the 21st century and has been considered as an important indicator for evaluating educational systems (Beck, 2022). Because it is considered one of the most important criteria for evaluating teachers' performance and it is an indicator of students' scientific abilities to enter the world of work and employment and higher education courses (Latino et al., 2023). Academic progress means the academic performance of students from an unfavorable level to a satisfactory level (Oliver et al., 2019) and average class grades are a common criterion for measuring academic progress (Zwar et al., 2014). Research evidence in this field shows that having secure relationships with parents and support from the family is a variable similar to truancy (Coleman and Hajel, 2007). In fact, parental support includes behaviors and commitments that provide the situations and materials needed for learning, participation in children's activities and competitions, and providing appropriate feedback to their performance (Hault et al., 2008). In this regard, academic self-efficacy is related to a person's sense of ability in managing learning activities, mastering academic subjects, and meeting academic expectations (Morris, 2001). Studies in this field show that learners who have more self-efficacy use more desire, effort and perseverance in doing homework. Also, people who do not have confidence in their abilities are afraid of facing challenging issues, which in turn leads to a feeling of ineffectiveness (Jackson, 2012). Also, in the form of other external factors, modern views
of education believe that the learner should be in a position to solve problems, not content and concepts; Therefore, educational methods should move in the direction of making learners active and increase learning and individual abilities (Oliver et al., 2019). In this context, research shows that physical activity and physical fitness are related to student success through increased mobility, better attendance, more attention, and more academic achievements (Anderston and Derstein, 2019) and the level of learning and motivation in active students in comparison It is higher with inactive students (Torres and Solberg, 2001). It is noteworthy that according to studies, the intensity and duration of various sports can affect academic progress (Abdul Karim, 2017; Donnelly et al., 2016; DeGriff, 2018). But the evidence about the effects of physical activity on children's academic progress is still not conclusive (Mulander, 2015). In addition, the relationship between physical activity and academic achievement in different subjects has not been investigated (Wasnar et al., 2019). One of the discussed topics is the use of new methods, such as brain and mind activation techniques of students, which includes brain rest during teaching. Short classroom-based physical activity breaks, commonly called brain or energy breaks. According to developmental psychology theories that consider separation and individuality necessary for healthy human development, and on the other hand, some studies show that parents play an important role in children's development by defining the goals of socialization, cognitive and communication education; Therefore, the current research seeks to answer the question of whether brain rest among important and more difficult subjects such as mathematics, Farsi and science (of the main and important subjects in the fourth to sixth grades of elementary school) with or without parental support leads to academic progress. Is students self-efficacy or not? If there is a difference, which group is more effective?
Materials and Methods
The present study was semi-experimental of applied type with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. To collect data from the book of physical activities of brain rest by Mahar et al. (2006), the educational achievement index of the participants, which was determined by the difference in math, science and Farsi exam scores between the first and second rounds, the self-efficacy questionnaire of Morris children and adolescents (2001) ) was used. After obtaining the relevant permission from the Semnan city administration and receiving consent from the parents, extracurricular classes for mathematics, science and Farsi courses were developed in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades of elementary school, and the research samples participated in those classes. First, the researcher asked the participants to answer the questions of self-efficacy and parental support questionnaire. Based on the results of the parental support questionnaire, the students who had a higher score were placed in the parental support group. Also, the teachers took math, science, and Farsi tests from them, and the students whose scores needed more effort were determined based on the opinions of 3 experienced and expert school teachers in Persian, science, and math subjects. The first half of the academic year (from October to the beginning of February) is much lower than the average grade and the grade has a downward trend; as a result, the student has a learning loss in that subject) as weak students in terms of learning and their grades to the title of the pre-exam scores was recorded. For the students of two experimental groups (with parental support and without parental support), a series of 3–5-minute group activity exercises were held in class during one school day. Before the intervention, the teachers of the experimental group were taught by the researcher about the methods of implementing the intervention and how to guide the exercises. These exercises were presented to the students of the experimental group for 4 months. Brain relaxation exercises were 3 to 5 minutes long and were provided twice a day (classroom time was 45 minutes, which was performed at 20 and 45 minutes) and 3 times a week (Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday). Students in the control group did not receive any intervention and were only given classroom instruction. After four months of the implementation of the brain rest program, the post-test of academic progress and self-efficacy was taken from the participants. The training program of this study was implemented based on the intervention described above, with the following program for four consecutive months for the experimental group (Wan et al., 2021; Kaspark, 2021 and Mahar et al., 2006). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine the normality of the data distribution and the pre-test to post-test changes of the variables using analysis of covariance. Data analysis was done by 21spss and Excel (2016) software, and a significance level (P ≥ 0.05) was considered
Findings
ANCOVA results show that by removing the effect of pre-test academic achievement scores and self-efficacy as covariates, the main effect of brain relaxation exercises with and without parental support on academic achievement and post-test self-efficacy is significant. Therefore, according to the results of Table 4, it is clear that brain relaxation exercises have an effect on academic achievement (P=0.001, Ŋ2=0.620, F=21.17) and self-efficacy (P=0.001, P=0.001, 23.95) and self-efficacy. F=) had a significant effect. The results of the Bonferroni test in Table No. 5 and 6 show that there is a significant difference between the academic progress and self-efficacy of the control group and the two educational groups (brain rest with parental support and brain rest without parental support) (05/05 P ≤ 0). Also, according to the average difference in academic achievement (5.59) and self-efficacy (8.32) between the two educational groups, it is clear that this amount has increased more in the parental support group compared to the non-parental support group.
Conclusion
The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of brain breaks on academic achievement, self-efficacy of primary students from fourth to sixth grade with the mediation of parental support. The first findings of the research showed that brain breaks have a significant effect on the academic progress of fourth to sixth grade students in two intervention groups. The results of the current research reveal the hypothesis of Rizal et al. (2019), that mental rests have a level of physical activity such as simple transitional physical and mental exercises that stimulate the neural pathways and cause both brain hemispheres to work simultaneously. which can manage children's attention and keep children in the best condition for learning; As the exercises used in the present research had the same nature. In this context, DeGriff et al. (2018) also believe that physical activity can potentially increase the child's physiological arousal level, which leads to increased attention; Because physical activity increases blood flow to the brain and may be a link to better academic performance, as a result, with more blood flow to the brain, oxygenation increases, potentially having a positive effect on brain function (Perera et al., 2015; Latino et al., 2023). According to studies, brain breaks for elementary students (ages 9-11) not only reduce children's stressors, but also give children freedom of expression through movement. In fact, these periods of brain rest allow the student's brain to refocus and re-energize before moving on to the next lesson, since these physical exercises are usually done after a period of student activity in the classroom. As a result, it is also important for parents and educators to allow children to move freely and take a break from daunting tasks such as solving problems or answering math, Persian or science questions, which is provided by the brain rest program. According to the results of the present study, the effectiveness of brain rest on academic progress was higher in the group with parental support, thus confirming the important role of the influence and mechanism of parent-child relationship on academic performance. Harmonious parent-child relationships in contemporary family relationships based on love, respect, emotional support, companionship and tolerance can be an important mediator on the development variable. According to the results of Virtanen et al.'s studies (2014), emotional support from the family increases students' participation in school activities and can prevent truancy and truancy. These researchers explain that according to the theory of social control, students who are attached to their parents and teachers are more in line with their expectations and this will play an important role in preventing school and homework evasion. Also, based on the participation-identification model, the lack of attachment of students with important others in life can have an undeniable role in the educational progress of children in the relationship of parents as a part of the environment; In other words, the supportive behavior of parents by providing the basic psychological needs of children can provide the necessary conditions for their growth and development. On the other hand, brain rest, as an educational aid tool, has been able to strengthen students' self-efficacy beliefs and, more relevantly, strengthen educational self-efficacy, which means a person's perception of his ability to learn to solve educational problems and achieve academic skills. In this regard, the results of the current research are consistent with the researches of Lone and Lupo (2022), Blaskaran et al. (2021), Anderson and Derstein (2019) and Torres (2001). In the explanation of the present result, it should be said that one of the effective factors in the progress and self-efficacy of students is definitely paying attention to teaching methods and new techniques; Therefore, successful modern methods encourage people to believe that they have the ability to perform successfully, and the teacher can convince learners in a real and practical way that they have the ability to perform successfully and competently.
Keywords: Brain break, Academic progress, Self-efficacy, New teaching method, Parental support
Funding
The present study was not funded by any organization
Authors’ Contributions
It was the responsibility of the author
Conflicts of Interest
There was no conflict of interest in the present study.
Acknowledgement
We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the respected officials of Semnan girls' elementary schools and all the dear students who participated in this research.
Keywords
