Higher Running Speed and Cardiovascular Endurance Are Associated with Greater Level of Academic Achievement in Urban Catalan Primary School Children

Jordi Arboix-Alió, Bernat Buscà, Josep Solà, Mariona Peralta-Geis, Adrià Arboix and Azahara Fort-Vanmeerhaeghe
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Jordi Arboix-Alió: Department of Sports Science, Ramon Llull University, FPCEE Blanquerna, 08025 Barcelona, Spain
Bernat Buscà: Department of Sports Science, Ramon Llull University, FPCEE Blanquerna, 08025 Barcelona, Spain
Josep Solà: Department of Sports Science, Ramon Llull University, FPCEE Blanquerna, 08025 Barcelona, Spain
Mariona Peralta-Geis: Department of Sports Science, Ramon Llull University, FPCEE Blanquerna, 08025 Barcelona, Spain
Adrià Arboix: Cerebrovascular Division, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari del Sagrat Cor, Universitat de Barcelona, 08029 Barcelona, Spain
Azahara Fort-Vanmeerhaeghe: Department of Sports Science, Ramon Llull University, FPCEE Blanquerna, 08025 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-12

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement in a sample of primary-school children. Data of 116 sixth-grade primary-school students (68 girls, 48 boys) from Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) with a mean (SD) age of 11.4 years (0.4) was analyzed. To determine academic achievement, proficiency scores in the subjects Catalan language, Spanish language, English language, and Maths were derived from the Test de Compètencies Bàsiques . Physical fitness was assessed using the Cooper test (aerobic capacity), 20-m sprint test (linear velocity), and 4 × 10-m test (agility). The results showed that participants with a higher performance in the Cooper and 20-m sprint tests had significantly better academic achievement in the assessed subjects ( p < 0.05; d range = 0.93 to −2.98). The findings of this investigation are interesting from a curricular perspective since a positive association between academic achievement and physical fitness indicates a strong reason to raise the physical education status in educational systems, a subject that has traditionally been considered less important by the educational community.

Keywords: academic performance; physical performance; primary education; physical education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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