Impact of In-class Breaks on Students’ Revitalization: An Observational Study in China and Bangladesh

Abstract

Students are the receiver and the teachers are the providers of information at a classroom. The exchange of information is conducted mainly through delivering lectures although there are several other ways to do that. Generally in a longer class duration (more than 1 hour), breaks are quite essential for the students as well as for the lecturer to get revitalized. This study aims at examining the impact of in-class breaks on revitalizing or energizing the students in order to focus on the lectures effectively. The investigation was conducted on 527 Bachelor and Master students of three universities in China and three universities in Bangladesh on a random sampling basis. Those students participated at two different classes: one with frequent short breaks and other one with two long breaks where they were being observed. The results indicate that frequent short breaks can revitalize the students more than fewer long breaks. Further, it was revealed that the Chinese students were more punctual and efficient in time management than the Bangladeshi students. The author hopes that this study will be inductive to the university lecturers as well as educational policymakers for putting more motivational focus for students in order to make the lectures enjoyable and effective.