The relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement among adolescent in South Korea

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between physical fitness level and academic achievement in middle school students. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 236 students aged 13–15 from three middle schools in D city, South Korea, were selected using a random sampling method. Academic achievement was measured by students’ 2014 fall-semester final exam scores and the level of physical fitness was determined according to the PAPS (Physical Activity Promotion System) score administrated by the Korean Ministry of Education. A Pearson correlation test with SPSS 20.0 was employed. [Results] The Pearson correlation test revealed a significant correlation between physical fitness and academic achievement. Specifically, students with higher levels of physical fitness tend to have higher academic performance. In addition, final exam scores of core subjects (e.g., English, mathematics, and science) were significantly related to the PAPS score. [Conclusion] Results of this study can be used to develop more effective physical education curricula. In addition, the data can also be applied to recreation and sport programs for other populations (e.g., children and adult) as well as existing national physical fitness data in various countries.

Effects of School-Based Physical Activity Programs on Health-Related Physical Fitness of Korean Adolescents: A Preliminary Study

“…Muscle strength was measured using handgrip strength, wherein participants had their feet attached to the floor and spread appropriately for an upright posture. After holding the dynamometer (TKK-5401, TAKEI, Niigata, Japan), with appropriate adjustments, measurements were taken for the left and right hand—twice—and the mean value was used as the final value [ 19 , 20 ]. Power was measured through a standing long jump, where participants jumped forward from a starting line as far as possible.…”

“…The researcher measured the straight-line distance from the nearest point of contact by any part of the participant’s body to the floor. Measurements were taken twice, and the best measurement record was used [ 19 , 20 ]. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using a shuttle run test.…”

Personality, lifestyle and job satisfaction: causal association between neuroticism and job satisfaction using Mendelian randomisation in the UK biobank cohort

“…We performed instrumental variable (IV) analyses to investigate the direct effect of each trait on job satisfaction. In addition, since all three traits (neuroticism, education and physical activity) are correlated with each other 11,[29][30][31][32][33] , we investigated whether these traits have causal effect on job satisfaction, once the correlation between them has been controlled for.…”

Introductory Chapter: Writing about Health and Academic Achievement

“…Among the countries of Latin America with high rates of obesity are Bahamas (17.3%), Argentina (16.9%), Chile (15.2%), Dominican Republic (15%), and Mexico with 4.8% of the obese population under 19 years [30]. In this regard, it has been shown that physical activity and practicing sports in students facilitate capacities to be able to respond appropriately to tasks [31], improve cognitive functioning [32], and predict better scores on standardized tests for mathematics or sciences [33,34]. Although, proper eating and sleeping habits are desirable [35], it has been found that students living in vulnerable households with low income have a poor quality of diet, which reduces the chances of having a good performance in school due to an inadequate contribution of energy, fatigue, and lack of attention [36,37].…”