The Effect of an 8-Week Aerobic Dance Program on Executive Function in Children

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Executive functions (EFs) are crucial for academic success and daily functioning in children.
• Physical education (PE) programs are increasingly explored for their potential to enhance cognitive skills.
• Aerobic dance offers a unique combination of physical activity and cognitive engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of an 8-week aerobic dance intervention within PE classes on primary school children's executive functions.
• Specifically examining effects on inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.

Main Methods:

• 41 primary school children were divided into an experimental group (aerobic dance PE) and a control group (no PE).
• Intervention involved 45-minute aerobic dance sessions, twice weekly for eight weeks.
• Executive functions were assessed using standardized tests (Trails Making Test, Stroop test, digit recall) pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• The aerobic dance program significantly improved cognitive flexibility (Trails Making Test A-B times and errors) (p < 0.001).
• Significant improvements were observed in inhibition measures (Stroop test corrected word count and errors) (p < 0.001, p < 0.01).
• The experimental group showed significant gains in working memory (digit recall score) compared to the control group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• An 8-week aerobic dance intervention effectively enhances executive functions in primary school children.
• Integrating aerobic dance into PE curricula can be a valuable strategy for cognitive development.
• This program positively impacts key cognitive skills essential for learning and development.