Exploring the relations among physical fitness, executive functioning, and low academic achievement

Autor: Roel Bosker, Esther Hartman, A.G.M. de Bruijn, Chris Visscher, Danny Kostons
Přispěvatelé: Research and Evaluation of Educational Effectiveness, SMART Movements (SMART)
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
Male
Physical fitness
Spelling
Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Academic achievement
Models
Psychological
INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES
050105 experimental psychology
Structural equation modeling
Developmental psychology
MATHEMATICS
Executive Function
WORKING-MEMORY
Developmental and Educational Psychology
medicine
Humans
PRIMARY-SCHOOL CHILDREN
Achievement test
0501 psychology and cognitive sciences
Child
Students
METAANALYSIS
Primary school
Academic Success
Schools
low academic achievement
FIT INDEXES
Working memory
business.industry
05 social sciences
050301 education
Executive functions
AEROBIC FITNESS
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING
REGULAR ORTHOGRAPHIES
Inhibition
Psychological
LEARNING-DISABILITIES
Memory
Short-Term
Learning disability
Female
medicine.symptom
Psychology
business
SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE
0503 education
Cognitive psychology
Zdroj: Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 167, 204-221. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
ISSN: 0022-0965
Popis: Physical fitness seems to be related to academic performance, at least when taking the role of executive functioning into account. This assumption is highly relevant for the vulnerable population of low academic achievers because their academic performance might benefit from enhanced physical fitness. The current study examined whether physical fitness and executive functioning are independent predictors of low mathematics and spelling achievement or whether the relation between physical fitness and low achievement is mediated by specific executive functions. In total, 477 students from second- and third-grade classes of 12 primary schools were classified as either low or average-to-high achievers in mathematics and spelling based on their scores on standardized achievement tests. Multilevel structural equation models were built with direct paths between physical fitness and academic achievement and added indirect paths via components of executive functioning: inhibition, verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory, and shifting. Physical fitness was only indirectly related to low achievement via specific executive functions, depending on the academic domain involved. Verbal working memory was a mediator between physical fitness and low achievement in both domains, whereas visuospatial working memory had a mediating role only in mathematics. Physical fitness interventions aiming to improve low academic achievement, thus, could potentially be successful. The mediating effect of executive functioning suggests that these improvements in academic achievement will be preceded by enhanced executive functions, either verbal working memory (in spelling) or both verbal and visuospatial working memory (in mathematics).
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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