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Acute Effects of Exergaming on Students’ Executive Functions and Situational Interest in Elementary Physical Education

Author

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  • Athanasios Kolovelonis

    (Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, 42100 Trikala, Greece)

  • Marina Papastergiou

    (Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, 42100 Trikala, Greece)

  • Evdoxia Samara

    (Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, 42100 Trikala, Greece)

  • Marios Goudas

    (Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, 42100 Trikala, Greece)

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to examine the acute effects of exergaming on students’ executive functions and to explore their situational interest regarding these games in elementary physical education. The first study involved a two-group, repeated measures, cross-over quasi-experimental design. Participants were 74 (36 boys) fourth- and fifth-grade students who were assigned to the experimental (38 students) and the waiting list control (36 students) group. The single physical education session with exergames was first implemented with the initial experimental group and after the post-test, the waiting list control group received the intervention. In the second study, a pre-test post-test, within-subjects design was involved with the experimental group students (48 fourth- and fifth-grade students, 27 boys) who participated in a booster single physical education session with exergames two months after their involvement in a four-week intervention with cognitively challenging physical activity games. Both studies involved pre- and post-intervention measures for executive functions using the design fluency test and a post-test measure for situational interest. During the acute session, students had to follow the movements of an on-screen dancing character in time to a chosen song of the Just Dance 2015 exergame. The results of the first study showed that experimental group students improved significantly from pre- to post-test their scores in design fluency and in cognitive flexibility and in the total score of the design fluency test and their improvements were higher compared to the waiting list control group. The waiting list control group students, after receiving the acute session with exergames, significantly improved their scores in design fluency, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility and in the total score of the design fluency test compared to their pre-intervention scores. Moreover, the second study showed that students’ total score in the design fluency test improved significantly from pre- to post-intervention. In both studies, students reported generally high scores in all subscales of the situational interest questionnaire. These results suggested that an acute exergame-based physical education session attracted students’ interest and positively triggered their executive functions.

Suggested Citation

  • Athanasios Kolovelonis & Marina Papastergiou & Evdoxia Samara & Marios Goudas, 2023. "Acute Effects of Exergaming on Students’ Executive Functions and Situational Interest in Elementary Physical Education," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:1902-:d:1041951
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Isis Kelly dos Santos & Rafaela Catherine da Silva Cunha de Medeiros & Jason Azevedo de Medeiros & Paulo Francisco de Almeida-Neto & Dianne Cristina Souza de Sena & Ricardo Ney Cobucci & Ricardo Santo, 2021. "Active Video Games for Improving Mental Health and Physical Fitness—An Alternative for Children and Adolescents during Social Isolation: An Overview," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    2. You Fu & Ryan D. Burns & Emma Gomes & Amy Savignac & Nora Constantino, 2019. "Trends in Sedentary Behavior, Physical Activity, and Motivation during a Classroom-Based Active Video Game Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-8, August.
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