RCT of Motor Play on Executive Functions and Early Math in Tunisian Preschoolers

Structured Motor Play RCT Registration: Enhancing Executive Function, Affective Engagement, and Early Math Skills in Tunisian Preschoolers. ​ Detailed Project Description Project Overview. This registration documents a single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating a 12-week structured motor play intervention's effects on executive functioning (Stroop Color-Word Test interference time), inhibitory control (Go/No-Go commission errors), early mathematical skills (3-item test: shapes, counting, classification), and affective engagement (Feeling Scale) in 40 preschool children (aged 3-6 years) from Manouba, Tunisia (n=20 experimental, n=20 control). ​ Rationale and Hypotheses. Grounded in embodied cognition theory, the study tests whether structured motor activities (e.g., obstacle navigation, ball handling, balance games; 2x45min/week) yield greater pre-post improvements than standard preschool activities, addressing gaps in motor-cognitive integration for low/middle-income contexts like Tunisia. Primary hypothesis: Experimental group shows superior change scores (t-tests/ANCOVA, α=0.05, FDR-corrected; powered for medium effects f=0.40, N=38). ​ Methods Summary. Inclusion: Regular preschoolers without neurodevelopmental disorders. Randomization via computer-generated numbers (allocation concealment: sealed envelopes). Blinding: Outcome assessors. Ethics: Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education Ksar-Sad (CPP #132025). Analysis: Change scores (T2-T1); normality-checked t-tests/Wilcoxon/Mann-Whitney; ANCOVA (baseline covariate); Hedges' g effect sizes; SPSS v27/R. ​ Outcomes and Exclusions. Primary: Stroop time, Go/No-Go errors, math score, Feeling Scale. Exclusions: Pre-planned (e.g.,