Longer Recess and Classroom Focus

ISEF Category: Behavioral and Social Sciences

Subcategory: Development  ·  Difficulty: Intermediate  ·  Setup: School Lab  ·  Time: 1 to 2 Months

The Hook

A few extra minutes of outdoor play can change how students settle back into class. That makes recess more than a break, it becomes a testable part of attention and self-regulation. You can turn a school routine into a real research question by comparing classroom behavior after different recess lengths.

What Is It?

This project asks whether changing recess length changes what happens after students return to class. You are testing behavior, not opinions. The key outcome is on-task behavior, which means the student is doing the assigned work, following directions, or staying focused on the lesson.

Think of attention like a battery. Recess may recharge it, but you want to know whether a short recharge and a longer recharge lead to different levels of focus. BORIS, a free behavioral coding tool, helps you turn teacher logs or observation notes into data you can count, compare, and graph.

The project sits at the intersection of development, school policy, and child behavior. You are asking whether a small schedule change changes how students function in the next class period.

Why This Is a Good Topic

This is a strong science fair topic because the question is specific, measurable, and tied to a real school decision. You can compare different recess lengths, code behavior in a consistent way, and analyze the results with basic statistics. You also learn how to handle messy real-world data, which is a big part of good research.

Research Questions

• How does a shorter recess compared with a longer recess affect the percentage of on-task behavior in the next class period?
• What is the effect of recess length on the number of teacher log entries marked off-task?
• Does the relationship between recess length and on-task behavior change by class period?
• To what extent do grade level or classroom subject modify the effect of recess length on focus?
• Which observation method, teacher logs or BORIS coding from video, gives the most consistent results?
• What is the effect of weather, indoor versus outdoor play, on post-recess attention?

Basic Materials

• School approval and a teacher partner.
• BORIS installed on a laptop.
• A simple classroom observation sheet or teacher log template.
• Clipboard or tablet for field notes.
• Stopwatch or phone clock for timing observation windows.
• Spreadsheet software such as Google Sheets.
• A clear behavior code sheet with definitions for on-task and off-task behavior.

Advanced Materials

• BORIS with a fixed video coding setup.
• Video camera with a stable mount.
• External microphone for clearer classroom audio.
• Secure storage for student data files.
• Statistical software such as R, JASP, or Jamovi.
• A randomized schedule sheet for assigning recess conditions.
• Interrater reliability forms for two independent coders.
• Permission and assent documentation approved by the school.

Software & Tools

• BORIS: Codes on-task and off-task behavior from logs or video.
• Google Sheets: Organizes observations, summaries, and graphs.
• JASP: Runs basic statistical tests without coding.
• R: Handles mixed-effects models and custom plots.
• Jamovi: Gives a free point-and-click option for comparing conditions.

Experiment Steps

1. Define the exact behavior you will count as on-task, and write the rule so another coder can follow it.
2. Choose the recess lengths you will compare, and keep the rest of the school routine as constant as possible.
3. Build a sampling plan that assigns days or classes to each condition without bias.
4. Set up your BORIS coding scheme or teacher log form, then check whether two observers agree on the same moments.
5. Decide on one main outcome, such as percent on-task behavior, and match it to a statistical test before you collect data.
6. Plan ahead for absent students, schedule changes, and missing observations so your analysis stays clean.

Common Pitfalls

• Counting vague behavior like "paying attention," which makes observers disagree on what to record.
• Changing the classroom activity after recess, which hides the effect of recess length.
• Letting teachers know the target condition, which can bias the log entries.
• Mixing indoor and outdoor recess in the same comparison, which adds a second variable.
• Skipping interrater reliability, which leaves you without proof that two coders agree.

What Makes This Competitive

A stronger version of this project uses clean controls, repeated observations, and a clear coding rule. You can raise the quality fast by counterbalancing recess conditions, checking interrater reliability, and reporting effect sizes instead of only p-values. If you add a stronger analysis, such as a mixed-effects model that accounts for class and day, the project feels much more like real developmental research.

Project Variations

• Compare indoor recess with outdoor recess to see whether setting matters as much as length.
• Compare structured play with unstructured free play to test whether activity type changes post-recess focus.
• Break the data out by grade level or subject to see which students show the largest response.

Learn More

• BORIS documentation: Find the user guide and tutorials on the official BORIS project site.
• PubMed: Search review articles on recess, attention, executive function, and classroom behavior.
• NIH PubMed Central: Find full-text studies on physical activity and child attention.
• OpenStax Psychology 2e: Read the chapters on attention and development for background on behavior and focus.
• MIT OpenCourseWare: Search intro psychology materials for lectures on attention and child development.
• CDC: Look for child physical activity and school health pages that explain how movement relates to learning.