Classroom active breaks show no statistically significant effect on inhibitory control in schoolchildren¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Pooled effects of active breaks on inhibitory control were small-to-moderate but not statistically significant under either analytic approach. → Melguizo-Ibáñez 2026

Evidence¶

Melguizo-Ibáñez 2026¶

Melguizo-Ibáñez, E., Zurita-Ortega, F., Tadeu, P., Ubago-Jiménez, J. L., & Alonso Vargas, J. M. (2026). Classroom Active Breaks as a Physical-Educational Intervention for Executive Functions and Mathematical Outcomes: a Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10146-3

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r?

RVE meta-analysis across 16 inhibitory-control studies (n = 3798): pooled g = 0.21, non-significant (p = 0.18); the article notes precision decreased when modelling dependent effect sizes but the magnitude was preserved.

"Neither the average model (g = 0.21, 95% CI [− 0.07, 0.50], Z = 1.47, p = 0.142) nor the RVE achieved statistically significant results (g = 0.21, 95% CI [− 0.11, 0.53], t(15) = 1.40, p = 0.18)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Executive Function — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Classroom active breaks show no statistically significant effect on attention in schoolchildren — related
• Classroom active breaks produce a small but statistically significant positive effect on working memory in schoolchildren aged 6–16 — related
• Classroom active breaks show no reliable effect on mathematical fluency — related
• Pooled active-break effect estimates are robust to sensitivity analyses varying within-study correlation and excluding individual studies — related
• Classroom-based physical activity interventions improve attention and/or on-task behavior in most reviewed studies of schoolchildren aged 4–18 — related
• Effects of active breaks on mathematical achievement are small and lose significance under Robust Variance Estimation — related