Executive functions (EFs) are essential for early childhood development, and effective programs to improve EFs in preschool education are becoming increasingly crucial. There is rising evidence that combined physical–cognitive intervention training utilizing active video games (exergames) could be a viable strategy to improve EFs. However, there is a shortage of empirical evidence on the application of this approach in preschool education. The effectiveness of exergame intervention training in preschools must be evaluated. This study conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of exergames intervention training on preschool children’s EFs. A total of 48 participants aged 4–5 years were enrolled; 24 were randomly allocated to receive exergames physical activity training, and the remaining 24 received conventional physical activity training. After a four-week intervention, the children who received the exergames intervention training exhibited considerably greater gains in all three EFs tasks than children who received the conventional physical activity program. Follow-up interviews revealed that the children accepted the exergames well. The results demonstrate the viability of incorporating exergames into preschool education to improve children’s EFs, supporting prior findings and offering more empirical evidence from early childhood research.
Children's unexpected cardiac arrest warrants cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by kindergarten teachers. Yet, recent research revealed trained personnel reporting poor transfer of acquired skills during real-world emergencies with conventional CPR training. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) training induces a greater sense of presence and agency than conventional CPR training and may be more effective in terms of increasing trainees' intention and initiative to perform CPR in real-world emergencies. A quasi-experiment was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the IVR-based CPR training method in terms of enhancing the intention to perform CPR. The trial enrolled 50 participants, 25 of whom examined a child patient in an IVR virtual scenario, using an AED, and performed two rounds of two-minute chest compressions. The remaining 25 participants were trained using a video with consistent content on a monitor. A generalised estimating equation analysis demonstrated that the IVR training method significantly increased prospective kindergarten teachers' self-efficacy for performing CPR, positive attitudes towards CPR, and CPR knowledge. This advantage was also maintained after the five-week follow-up. Thus, CPR teaching via IVR looks to be an excellent | 2051 EFFECTIVENESS OF IVR-BASED CPR TRAINING TECHNIQUES
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