Concentration Improved in Only Five Days

Inside the computer room at the FUNtastic Brain Clinic in Singapore.

You can improve concentration in a mere five days. That is the conclusion of the Edublox research team after presenting a 5-day holiday program for learners aged ten to twelve during the last week of June 2014 in Singapore.

The FUNtastic Brain Clinic offered three classes: a computer class where learners accessed the Compublox program, a group class where cognitive exercises were presented by a tutor, as well as a reading class, where the learners did reading, spelling and comprehension exercises.

The 27 participants’ concentration was assessed using a Cambridge Brain Sciences online test called ‘Feature Match’. This test shows a series of similar images which may not be as similar as they first appear; the goal is to gauge how quickly the respondent can identify the difference. This is a perceptual task which requires the respondents to concentrate and focus their attention on complex images.

A control group was recruited based on similar age, gender and ability.

The Centre for Evaluation and Assessment in the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria was contracted to analyse the data and write a formal research report.

The difference in scores for ‘Feature Match’ between the two groups is statistically significant. On top of that the effect size is large, which lies beyond what Professor John Hattie calls the hinge point or the desired effects point in education. This provides evidence for the benefits in concentration that the experimental group gained.

A comprehensive report and articles will be available soon.