Comparison of the Effectiveness of Intensive Aerobic Exercise, Mindfulness Training, and a Integration of Exercise and Mindfulness on the Academic Performance of Fourth-Grade Elementary Students.

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Educational Science, Faculty of Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to compare the effectiveness of an aerobic exercise program, a mindfulness training program, and a integration of aerobic exercise and mindfulness training on the academic performance of fourth-grade female students. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design including a control group. The statistical population consisted of all fourth-grade female students from public elementary schools in Amol city during the academic year 2020-2021, from which 90 students were selected through convenience sampling and assigned to four groups: aerobic exercise program, mindfulness training, integration of aerobic exercise and mindfulness, and a control group (each experimental group consisting of 23 participants and the control group consisting of 21 participants). Subsequently, 18 sessions of 30-minute training were designed and conducted every other day. To collect data in the pre-test and post-test, the Academic Performance Questionnaire by Fam and Taylor (EPT) was used. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance and SPSS22 software. The results indicated a significant difference in the academic performance of participants in all three groups: aerobic exercise program (Eta=0.59), mindfulness training (Eta=0.49), and the integration of aerobic exercise and mindfulness (Eta=0.56) compared to the control group (P≤0.05). However, participants in the integration group of aerobic exercise and mindfulness performed better than the other two training groups. These results suggest that integrating mindfulness training and aerobic exercise can be an effective strategy for improving the academic performance of fourth-grade female students.

Keywords

References

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Cognitive Science Research
Volume 1, Issue 1
March 2025
Pages 45-61

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History

  • Receive Date: 28 January 2025
  • Revise Date: 25 February 2025
  • Accept Date: 01 March 2025
  • First Publish Date: 01 March 2025
  • Publish Date: 01 March 2025

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