Academic Journal
A yoga-integrated mind-body movement intervention: effects on children's problem solving, mathematics anxiety, and physical activity.
| Τίτλος: | A yoga-integrated mind-body movement intervention: effects on children's problem solving, mathematics anxiety, and physical activity. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Kayıran D; Department of Child Development, Vocational School of Health Services, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University, Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye., Avci A; Department of Child Development, Malazgirt Vocational School, Muş Alparslan University, Muş, Türkiye., Türkmen EN; Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Vocational School of Health Services, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University, Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye., Haji Mohamud RY; Yardimeli Specialist Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia. |
| Πηγή: | Frontiers in public health [Front Public Health] 2026 Aug 06; Vol. 14, pp. 1874706. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 06 (Print Publication: 2026). |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Frontiers Editorial Office Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101616579 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2296-2565 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 22962565 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Front Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Lausanne : Frontiers Editorial Office |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Yoga*/psychology , Mathematics*/education , Anxiety*/prevention & control , Exercise*/psychology , Problem Solving* , Mind-Body Therapies*, Humans ; Child ; Female ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires |
| Περίληψη: | Introduction: This study examined the effects of a 10-week yoga-integrated mind-body movement program embedded within routine mathematics instruction on elementary school students' problem-solving performance, computation skills, mathematics anxiety, and self-reported physical activity. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was employed with third-grade students assigned to either a yoga-integrated mathematics group or a traditional mathematics instruction group. Outcome measures included verbal problem-solving performance, computation skills, overall mathematics achievement, mathematics anxiety, and self-reported physical activity assessed using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). Results: Compared with the control group, students who participated in the yoga-integrated program demonstrated significantly greater improvements in problem-solving performance, computation skills, and overall mathematics achievement. The intervention group also showed significantly lower mathematics anxiety at post-test. In addition, students in the intervention group reported higher PAQ-C scores following the intervention, suggesting increased self-reported physical activity. Discussion: Overall, the findings suggest that integrating structured mind-body movement into routine mathematics lessons may support cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physical aspects of learning. However, because physical activity was assessed using a self-report instrument and the intervention was implemented in intact classrooms within a quasi-experimental design, the findings should be interpreted with appropriate caution. Future studies employing active comparison groups, objective measures of physical activity (e.g., accelerometry), and longitudinal follow-up designs are needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying these associations and to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of yoga-integrated mathematics instruction. (Copyright © 2026 Kayıran, Avci, Türkmen and Haji Mohamud.) |
| Competing Interests: | The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: elementary education; embodied learning; mathematics anxiety; movement-integrated curriculum; physical activity; school-based intervention; yoga-integrated learning |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260821 Date Completed: 20260821 Latest Revision: 20260822 |
| Update Code: | 20260822 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13490191 |
| DOI: | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1874706 |
| PMID: | 42625968 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 2296-2565 |
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| DOI: | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1874706 |