Influence of Stretching and Deep Breathing Exercises on Test Achievement Scores of Medical Students in Isfahan Medical University, Iran

Introduction: Nowadays, promotion of the quality in education is the main concern of education authorities. Scholars believe that detecting the related items including the disrupting factors can play a major role in this field. This study tries to survey the influence of stretching and deep breathing exercises on test achievement scores of medical students. Methods: This study adopts a quasi-experimental approach to investigate the effects of within class stretching and deep breathing exercises on test achievement scores of 84 medical students(selected by random sampling) who had registered for a course of Genetics in the second semester of 2008-2009 school year. The samples were divided into two groups of experiment (43) and control (41).The number of sessions, time of class, content of the course and the teacher were identical for both groups. Stretching and deep breathing exercises were performed within class in experimental group while there was no intervention in control group. Data were collected by multiple choice questions in form of pre-post tests. The data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential (T-test) statistical tests in SPSS soft ware. Results: Findings obtained from data analysis showed a significant difference between test achievement scores in experiment and control groups (p=0.05, t=-2.912). Conclusion: Since performing within class stretching and deep breathing exercises caused promotion of test achievement scores of medical students in course of Genetics, performing these exercises is highly recommended in all classes and educational workshops.