THE IMPACT ON ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT AFTER SOCIAL ATTENTION DURING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Recess is vital to maintaining academic engagement to regenerate productivity in school. Previous research suggests an increased level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) increases academic engagement in the classroom. In a systematic replication of Mercado Baez et al., (in review), the current study extends research on MVPA by evaluating the effects of social interaction between teachers and students during recess, as well as the effects of MVPA on academic engagement. Researchers measured academic engagement before and after recess sessions using group momentary time-sampling to determine a percentage of on-task behavior during instruction time. Results showed functional relations between MVPA and the group game in that students engaged in higher levels of MVPA when the group game was in place than in the baseline condition. However, MVPA had little effect on academic engagement levels. These findings extend other work by further identifying the impact on antecedent activity to instruction.