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Frontiers in Sport Research, 2024, 6(6); doi: 10.25236/FSR.2024.060607.

An analysis of the impact of physical activities on enhancing primary school student’s academic performance

Author(s)

Andong Zhang1, Haoyu Xu1, Pengfei Zheng2, Haoquan Sun1

Corresponding Author:
Haoquan Sun
Affiliation(s)

1Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2School of Physical Education, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China

Abstract

This study aims to provide empirical evidence on the impact of physical activity on academic achievement in primary school students. The 60 sixth graders in a Shenzhen primary school were divided into two groups: an experimental group and the control group. The experimental group ran daily for 30 minutes, while the control group did nothing. Standardized tests assessing their performance in Chinese, mathematics, and English were administered at both the commencement and conclusion of the experiment. The findings revealed that students in the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements across all subjects, with an average increase of 5.2 points in Chinese (p = 0.034), 4.8 points in mathematics (p = 0.041), and 6.1 points in English (p = 0.029). These enhancements were statistically meaningful, indicating that physical activity positively impacted the academic performance of primary school students. In contrast, scores for students in the control group exhibited minimal change during the experiment and even slightly decreased within certain subjects. Based on these outcomes, it can be concluded that physical activity, particularly regular running training, not only enhances students' physical well-being but also effectively fosters their academic performance.

Keywords

Physical Activity, Academic Performance, Primary School, Cognitive Development, Holistic Education

Cite This Paper

Andong Zhang, Haoyu Xu, Pengfei Zheng, Haoquan Sun. An analysis of the impact of physical activities on enhancing primary school student’s academic performance. Frontiers in Sport Research (2024) Vol. 6, Issue 6: 37-47. https://doi.org/10.25236/FSR.2024.060607.

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