Is it more effective to take a 10-minute break halfway through a 90-minute lecture or a 90-second break every 10 minutes? Researchers investigated the effect of the timing of these breaks on learners in an undergraduate psychology course and have some interesting findings:
- Students in the micro-break condition consistently outperformed those in the traditional break condition on end-of-session quiz scores.
- Both groups showed decreases in performance over time (a typical vigilance or attention decline), but micro-breaks helped slow that decline, especially during the middle part of the session.
- Traditional longer breaks produced a temporary boost only immediately after the break, whereas micro-breaks helped maintain a steadier level of performance.
The authors interpret these results using cognitive load theory and spaced learning principles—suggesting that short, frequent breaks help manage working memory and sustain attention better than a single long break.
It’s important to note that there were no delayed tests of knowledge, so we don’t know the effects on retention of knowledge, but this research is promising. Our minds naturally wander every few minutes, so building in these breaks throughout your learning activities encourages students to spend time thinking about the content they just encountered developing more elaborate memories.
Read the full article here:
Sharpe, B.T., Trotter, M.G. &s; Hale, B.J. 2025. Sustaining student concentration: The effectiveness of micro-breaks in a classroom setting. Frontiers in Psychology 16: 1589411. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1589411.