Abstract
This study examines whether brief, digitally supported movement tasks can improve students’ concentration and emotion regulation during academic lessons in an all-day lower-secondary school. The intervention is grounded in Weinert’s understanding of competence as the context-sensitive capacity and willingness to mobilize cognitive, motivational, volitional, and social resources to meet specific demands (Weinert, 2001, 45 ff.). In addition, the MAIN-Teach model is used to frame instructional quality, particularly the dimensions of cognitive activation and socio-emotional support (Praetorious & Gräsel, 2021, 169 ff.). Within this framework, concentration and emotion regulation are conceptualized as proximal student outcomes and self-regulatory resources rather than as pedagogical competences (Gaudreau, 2014, 506 f.). Classroom climate and learning readiness are included as theoretically related secondary outcomes because they reflect the conditions under which cognitively activating and emotionally supportive learning can occur.
The central innovation is a set of digital flashcards that translate evidence-informed, Life-Kinetik-inspired tennis-ball exercises into short, structured, curriculum-linked movement tasks (Ingebrigtsen et. Al., 2025, 3 ff.). The cards are used by classroom teachers, including non-physical-education specialists, who guide students through the activities immediately before selected instructional phases. Each card contains concise instructions, visual demonstrations, differentiation options, and prompts for cooperation and reflection (Mödinger, 2024, 501 f.). The intervention therefore takes place in regular academic classroom periods within the all-day school programme, rather than in compulsory physical education. The study addresses three questions: (1) Do students participating in the nine-week intervention show greater improvements in perceived concentration and emotion regulation than students in a comparison group? (2) Are changes in classroom climate and learning readiness associated with participation in the movement tasks? (3) How do teachers and students evaluate the usability, feasibility, and perceived effects of the digital flashcards?
A mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design is implemented in cooperation with a Pädagogische Mittelschule. Quantitative data are collected at four measurement points—baseline, two interim assessments, and post-test—using standardized student questionnaires on concentration, emotion regulation, classroom climate, and learning readiness. Group differences and change over time will be examined using repetead-measures anova including group-by-time effects and relevant covariates. The quantitative findings are complemented by guided group discussions with participating teachers and students. These discussions focus on implementation conditions, usability, perceived benefits, barriers, and suggestions for improvement and will be analysed using structuring qualitative content analysis. Integration of both data strands will occur during interpretation through comparison of convergent, complementary, and divergent findings.
The study is expected to clarify whether low-threshold, teacher-led movement activities can support students’ immediate readiness to learn and contribute to a positive classroom climate. Its main contribution lies in linking a defined competence framework and a model of instructional quality with a scalable digital teaching tool and a transparent mixed-methods evaluation. In doing so, the project aims to provide theoretically grounded and practically applicable evidence for the sustainable integration of movement-based learning into everyday all-day school instruction.
References
Gaudreau, P. (2014). Building Bridges between Motivation and Self-Regulation in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Education. International journal of sport psychology, 45(6), 505-515. https://doi.org/10.7352/IJSP2014.45.505
Ingebrigtsen, M.et. Al. (2025). Effective, Scalable, and Low-Cost: The Use of Teacher-Made Digital Flashcards Improves Student Learning. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 39 (4), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.70086
Mödinger, M.,Woll, A. & Wagner, I. (2024). Motorisches Lernen mit digitalen Medien im Sportunterricht – Ein digitalbasiertes methodisches Unterrichtskonzept zur Implementierung von visuellen Feedback. German Journal of Excersise and Sport Research, 54, 500-509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-024-00955-5
Praetorius, A.-K., & Gräsel, C. (2021). Noch immer auf der Suche nach dem heiligen Gral: Wie generisch oder fachspezifisch sind Dimensionen der Unterrichtsqualität? Unterrichtswissenschaft, 49(2), 167–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42010-021-00119-6
Weinert, F. E. (2001). Concept of competence: A conceptual clarification. In D. S. Rychen & L. H. Salganik (Eds.), Defining and selecting key competencies (pp. 45–65). Hogrefe & Huber.