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Investigation of the associations between physical activity, self-regulation and educational outcomes in childhood

Fotini Vasilopoulos1,2, Michelle R Ellefson1

  • 1Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Plos One
|May 19, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Physical activity positively impacts emotional regulation in children across multiple ages. This improved emotional regulation, in turn, enhances academic achievement, suggesting a focus on attention-based interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Educational Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Physical activity is known to confer physiological and psychological benefits.
  • Self-regulation is crucial for cognitive and academic development in children.
  • Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the interplay between physical activity, self-regulation, and academic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the longitudinal association between physical activity and self-regulation (emotional and behavioral) in primary and secondary school children.
  • To examine the indirect effect of physical activity on academic achievement through self-regulation.
  • To explore the influence of socioeconomic status on these relationships.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized secondary data from the Millennium Cohort Study (UK).
  • Analyzed data from children at ages 7, 11, and 14 years.
  • Employed longitudinal statistical modeling to assess concurrent and predictive relationships, controlling for socioeconomic status.

Main Results:

  • A consistent positive association was found between physical activity and emotional regulation across all three time points.
  • Physical activity positively predicted academic achievement mediated by emotional regulation (at age 7) and behavioral regulation (at age 11).
  • The mediating effects were more pronounced after controlling for socioeconomic status.

Conclusions:

  • Emotional regulation is significantly linked to physical activity in early childhood.
  • Enhanced emotional regulation, fostered by physical activity, can positively influence academic attainment.
  • Interventions aimed at improving academic achievement may benefit from focusing on emotional regulation strategies over behavioral ones.

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