The Effect of Morning Exercise on the Process of Cognitive Self-Regulation of Emotion in Second-Grade Elementary School Students

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effect of morning exercise based on coordinated movements on the process of cognitive self-regulation of emotions in second-grade male elementary school students.Method: The current research was a quasi-experimental type with a pre-test and a post-test along with a control group design. For this purpose, 40 students from the second-grade elementary school were selected by the available sampling method and then randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. Garnefski and Kraaij’s Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) was used in both the pre-test and post-test phases. According to the instructions of the Sports for All Federation and the researcher's design, the experimental group participated in morning exercise based on coordinated movements for 8 weeks, 5 days a week, and for 20 minutes every day. The control group did not receive any intervention. Data analysis was done through analysis of covariance with a significance level of 0.05 via SPSS 24 software.Results: Morning exercise had a significant effect on the improvement of students' self-regulated emotion and caused an increase to it. The results of the Wilk’s Lambda test (P=0.0001) and the within-group and between-group contrast test in the experimental group (P=0.0001) and the control group (P=0.09) showed the progress and significant difference of the experimental group compared with the control group.Conclusion: Participating in morning exercise based on coordinated movements increases students' self-regulation of emotion. Therefore, it is suggested that sports coaches and relevant officials of schools consider morning exercise in the daily schedule of schools.

Keywords

• coordinated movement morning exercise self
• regulation of emotion