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Impact of Active Methodologies Involving Physical Activity on Primary School Students: A Systematic Review
Rafael Francisco Caracuel-Cáliz1,2, José Luis Ubago-Jiménez3, José Manuel Alonso-Vargas3
1Faculty of Education Science, Universidad Internacional de Valencia (VIU), 46002 Valencia, Spain.
Sports (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 28, 2025
Summary
Integrating physical activity in elementary education boosts student engagement, behavior, and academic results. Active methodologies like cooperative learning and gamification show promise for improving overall student well-being and learning outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Education
- Kinesiology
- Pedagogy
Background:
- Physical activity integration in elementary education aims to enhance academic performance and student well-being.
- Active methodologies are increasingly explored to achieve these integrated benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the scientific literature on the effects of active methodologies involving physical activity in primary school students.
- To assess the impact of these methods on academic, physical, emotional, and social health outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature review adhering to PRISMA guidelines was conducted.
- Searches included Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus for studies published between 2018 and April 2024.
- Quality assessment used the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria, including 22 selected articles.
Main Results:
- Cooperative learning and active breaks positively impacted engagement, classroom behavior, and academic outcomes.
- Gamification and challenge-based learning demonstrated benefits for motivation and engagement, though results varied by context.
- Shorter or small-scale interventions yielded promising but less conclusive findings.
Conclusions:
- Active methodologies show potential for improving outcomes in primary education.
- Inconsistent study designs currently limit the generalizability of findings.
- Further research with robust designs is needed to confirm the broad applicability of these methods.
