Effects of brain breaks on EFL students’ writing skills at the tertiary level

Abstract

There is increasing evidence for the connection between emotion, social functioning, and cognition in the education system. Research suggests that the application of brain breaks is a bridge between these relations and academic achievement and can serve as a viable approach to enhancing learners’ outcomes. However, existing studies on this approach are generally from elementary and secondary levels, thus leaving a gap in reports in higher level educational contexts. For the present study, an EFL university class was chosen as the sample subject of study to demonstrate the impact of brain breaks on students’ writing outcomes. Data were collected from both an experimental and control group during an 8-week intervention through a pre-test and a post-test. Qualitative data was collected through teacher observation and students’ surveys. Thus, an embedded sequential mixed methods design was implemented to understand the participants’ perceptions within the context of an experimental intervention. Given that university students spend more than 2 hours sitting, this study suggests that short brain breaks every 45 minutes enhanced cognitive operations associated with writing academic performance.