Overall, these results provide preliminary insights into patterns of motor coordination and psychological outcomes in fourth and fifth graders with similar recess minutes but different protocols, but provide no evidence that the modified 30-minute LiiNK intervention benefits children any better than 30 minutes of recess without the modified protocols.
Key Findings
Results
Perceived physical ability (PPASC) differed between groups, with the control group scoring higher at both time points, suggesting a pre-existing group difference rather than an effect of the modified intervention.
A mixed two-way repeated measures MANOVA identified a between-group PPASC difference (p < 0.001).
The control group (n = 98) reported higher PPASC scores than the modified intervention group (n = 120) at both Time 1 and Time 2.
Because the difference was present at both time points, the authors interpret it as pre-existing rather than a change due to the modified intervention.
Results
Motor coordination improved over time on two KTK subtests, single-leg hop (SH) and sideways stepping (SS), across the school year.
Significant within-subjects time-related improvements were observed for SH and SS.
These were time effects within subjects, not differences attributed to the modified intervention.
Motor coordination was assessed with the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) at two time points in one school year.
Results
Self-esteem declined significantly from Time 1 to Time 2.
A significant within-subjects time-related decline was observed for the KID-KINDL self-esteem subscale.
The authors suggest the second data collection in February, rather than May, as a limitation and recommend future studies collect the second data point in May.
Results
The proportion of children classified as having 'Normal-to-Great' motor quotient (MQ) did not differ significantly between groups at either time point, although it rose descriptively in both groups.
Normal-to-Great MQ classification at Time 1 was 85.8% in the modified intervention group and 90.8% in the control group.
At Time 2 it was 88.3% in the modified intervention group and 95.9% in the control group.
2 x 2 Pearson chi-square analyses at each time point showed no significant findings.
Results
The proportion of children classified as 'Below Normal' MQ decreased in both groups over time.
In the modified intervention group it decreased from 14.2% to 11.7%.
In the control group it decreased from 9.2% to 4.1%.
These changes were descriptive; chi-square comparisons were not significant.
Conclusions
The study found no evidence that the modified 30-minute LiiNK intervention benefits children more than 30 minutes of recess without the modified protocols.
Fourth and fifth grade children received either a modified LiiNK intervention (30 min daily with LiiNK protocols and procedures; n = 120) or no modified intervention (n = 98).
Outcomes were motor coordination (KTK), self-esteem (KID-KINDL), and perceived physical ability (PPASC), measured at two time points.
Grade, sex, race, and body fat percentage were collected to describe group differences; the study is described as exploratory.
Conclusions
The authors recommend future studies compare the modified 30-minute intervention against the full 60-minute LiiNK intervention in larger samples and collect the second data point in May rather than February.
Prior LiiNK research showed that 60 minutes of daily recess produced significantly better motor coordination than 30 minutes daily.
Outcomes were lacking for schools that reduced the intervention to 30 minutes in older grades while keeping the protocols.
What This Means
This study looked at whether a shortened version of the LiiNK Project, a school recess program, made a difference for fourth and fifth graders. The full program gives children 60 minutes of recess a day. Here, one school group (120 children) got 30 minutes of recess while still following the program's protocols, and a comparison group (98 children) got 30 minutes of recess without those protocols. Researchers measured motor coordination, self-esteem, and how capable children felt physically, at two points in a school year.
The two groups did not differ in ways that pointed to a benefit from the modified program. The comparison group scored higher on perceived physical ability at both time points, which suggests the groups were different to begin with. Both groups improved on two coordination tasks (single-leg hop and sideways stepping), and the share of children with below-normal coordination dropped slightly in both groups, but the group differences were not statistically significant. Self-esteem declined over time in both groups.
This research suggests that adding the program's protocols to a 30-minute recess did not produce clear extra benefits over 30 minutes of ordinary recess. The study was exploratory, and the second measurement was taken in February rather than at the end of the school year, so the results are preliminary. The authors suggest future work compare the 30-minute version with the full 60-minute program in larger samples.
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von Borck H, Esposito P, Braun-Trocchio R, Wagner L, Rhea D. (2026). Comparing the impact of recess duration on motor coordination and psychological variables: An exploratory study.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361479