No abstract

Background Self‐regulation promotes engagement within the classroom. At a physiological level, a good indicator of the ability of the system to self‐regulate is cardiac vagal tone (CVT). Aims The present study aims to assess children's change over time (1 year) in their parasympathetic regulation (by way of CVT) in response to a social and cognitive stressor. Moreover, it addresses whether, if present, this change over time in regulation influences students’ engagement in classroom activities while also accounting for classroom climate. Sample Forty‐nine second graders were assessed at two time points: November 2018 (T1) and 1 year later in 2019 (T2). Methods Children's CVT was registered at rest and while performing a stressful task during which they were asked to cognitively perform while being socially evaluated. Children were also interviewed on how much they feel engaged in classroom activities and their perceptions of classroom climate. Results A repeated measures analysis of variance including 2 Time Points ×2 Phases of CVT Registration (baseline and during the stressful task) revealed a significant decrease in cardiac vagal activity from baseline to the task at T1, indicating that initially most children were not able to self‐regulate and gave way to a stress response when facing the stressful task. The pattern changed at T2 when an active regulation took place signalled by an increase in CVT from baseline to the stressful task. Data analysis also revealed that among children who perceived a poorer classroom climate, the display of greater parasympathetic regulation over time was linked with higher active engagement in classroom activities. Conclusions Growth in physiological regulation in response to a challenging task is associated with better engagement in classroom activities. Interventions and educational practice promoting the development of self‐regulation strategies are recommended.

This study examines the associations between physical and emotional well-being and classroom climate, cardiac vagal response, and body mass index (BMI) in a sample of 6- to-8-year-olds. Specifically, we expected a direct link between classroom climate, vagal withdrawal, BMI and children’s physical and emotional comfort. Furthermore, we explored whether these individual and environmental characteristics influenced well-being in an interactive fashion. Participants were 142 (63 boys, 44%) first and second graders living in the North of Italy who were interviewed on their emotional and physical comfort. Heart rate and a measure of vagal influence on the heart (cardiac vagal tone) were recorded at rest and during an oral academic test. Height and weight were collected. Classroom climate was positively linked with physical well-being, whereas emotional well-being was negatively related with BMI. In addition, an inverted U-shaped effect of cardiac vagal withdrawal (i.e., cardiac vagal tone during stress minus resting vagal tone) on emotional well-being was found. Two regression models highlighted the role played by BMI when interacting with vagal withdrawal in predicting children’s physical and emotional well-being. The interplay between BMI and cardiac vagal withdrawal played an important role in primary school children’s well-being. From a clinical perspective, preventive training to improve autonomic regulation in concert with interventions promoting healthy eating attitudes might be critical for supporting primary school children’s emotional and physical health.