A yoga-integrated mind-body movement intervention: effects on children's problem solving, mathematics anxiety, and physical activity.

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.