Scheduled for Poster Session: Health, Fitness, and Physical Activity; Knowledge Testing; and International Perspectives on Health, Fitness, and Sport, Friday, March 19, 2010, 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall RC Poster Area


Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in Taipei Elementary School Children

Hsiu-Chu Lin1, Shu-Wei Chang2, Lien-Wei Peng3, Yu-Ching Chen1 and Yi-Chin Wu4, (1)Taipei Physical Education College, Taipei City, Taiwan, (2)Taipei Physical Education College, Taipei, Taiwan, (3)Taipei Phisical Education College, Taipei, Taiwan, (4)Taipei Physical Education College, Taipei city, Taiwan

Background/Purpose

The benefits of physical fitness are widely acknowledged and extended across many domains of wellness. Over the past fifty years research has typically revealed either weak or no relationships between academic achievement, peer interaction, and physical fitness. However, the association between physical fitness, peer interaction, and academic achievement remains to be clarified, especially, in young children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between academic achievement, peer interaction, and physical fitness in Taipei elementary school children.

Method

Data were collected from 156 fifth- and sixth-grade children, the variables include: one-mile run time, body mass index, curl-up, sit-and-reach, and peer interaction in physical education scale. These variables were collected from physical education instructors in Taipei elementary schools. The percentage of questions answered correctly for the social arts, mathematics, and reading/language arts sections of the academic achievement test was taken as a measure of academic achievement.

Analysis/Results

Based on the results, a negative association was noted between physical fitness and mathematics scores (r = -.28, p< .05), whereas a positive relationship was observed between physical fitness and peer interaction (r = .20, p< .05). Relative to gender differences, inverse relationships (r = -.46,p< .05) were observed between physical fitness and reading/language arts and mathematics scores in girls, but no significant associations were evident in boys.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the results from this study support a link between physical fitness, peer interaction, and academic achievement in elementary school children.


Keyword(s): elementary issues, physical education PK-12

Back to the 2010 AAHPERD National Convention and Exposition (March 16-20, 2010)