Peer-reviewed article
Impact of a physical-cognitive intervention on emotional regulation and school adjustment in primary school children.
Carcelén-Fraile MDC, Montánchez-Torres ML ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether combining motor games with soroban abacus training could help primary school children regulate their emotions and adjust better to school. Eighty-two children were randomly assigned to either receive the 12-week intervention integrated into physical education classes or continue with standard lessons. Children in the intervention group showed significant improvements in emotional regulation, self-regulation, and school adjustment compared to the control group.
Key points
- Experimental group showed significant improvements in self-regulation and emotional regulation compared to control group
- All dimensions of school adjustment improved, including emotional symptoms, behavioral problems, peer relationships, hyperactivity/inattention, and prosocial behavior
- Moderate to large effect sizes were observed across primary outcomes
- The intervention combined motor games with soroban abacus cognitive training over 12 weeks
- Results should be interpreted cautiously due to relatively small sample size
Limitations
The document does not specify which country or region the study was conducted in, limiting understanding of cultural and educational context. The relatively small sample size and exploratory nature of secondary analyses, acknowledged by the authors, mean the findings may not be generalizable to all primary school populations.
Abstract
Introduction Self-regulation, emotional regulation, and school adjustment are fundamental for children's learning and wellbeing during primary education. This study aimed to analyze the effects of a combined physical-cognitive intervention based on motor games and soroban abacus training on these outcomes in children in the first cycle of primary education. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 82 primary school children allocated to an experimental group (n = 41) or a control group (n = 41). The experimental group completed a 12-week physical-cognitive intervention integrated into physical education classes, whereas the control group followed the standard curriculum. Self-regulation, emotional regulation, and school adjustment were assessed before and after the intervention using validated questionnaires. Results Compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significant improvements in self-regulation, emotional regulation, and all dimensions of school adjustment, including emotional symptoms, behavioral problems, peer relationship problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and prosocial behavior. Moderate to large effect sizes were observed across the primary outcomes. Discussion These findings suggest that integrating motor games with soroban-based cognitive training may represent an effective educational strategy for enhancing self-regulation, emotional regulation, and school adjustment in young children. Although the results are promising, they should be interpreted cautiously due to the relatively small sample size and the exploratory nature of some secondary analyses.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Combined physical-cognitive intervention integrating motor games and soroban abacus training into physical education classes over 12 weeks
- Population
- 82 primary school children in the first cycle of primary education (41 experimental, 41 control)
Key finding
Significant improvements in self-regulation in experimental group compared to control