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.