Relationship between Motor Competence, Physical Fitness, and Academic Achievement in Young School-Aged Children

Relationship between Gross Motor Coordination and Health-Related Fitness in Serbian Preschool Children

BACKGROUND

The relationship between motor coordination and physical fitness in preschool children is of significant interest due to its implications for overall health and development. This study aims to investigate the correlation between gross motor coordination, as assessed by the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK), and health-related physical fitness components.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study, involving 139 preschool-aged children, was conducted. Physical fitness was assessed using the PREFIT fitness test battery, which includes measures of flexibility, muscular strength, speed/agility, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Motor coordination was evaluated using the KTK test, comprising four subtests.

RESULTS

Pearson correlation analysis revealed weak to strong positive and negative correlations between motor coordination and various physical fitness measures, including flexibility (r = 0.402; p = 0.01), muscular strength (r = 0.178; r = 0.487; r = 0.601; p < 0.05), speed/agility (r = -0.742; p = 0.01), and endurance (r = 0.539; p = 0.01). Additionally, hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated significant influence of motor coordination on physical fitness, explaining a notable percentage of the variance across different fitness components (3.2-55%).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings underscore the importance of motor coordination in shaping physical fitness levels in preschool children. Promoting motor coordination skills early in childhood may have long-term benefits for overall health and fitness.

The Correlation between Motor Skill Proficiency and Academic Performance in High School Students

The intricate relationship between physical health and cognitive development has been a focal point of multidisciplinary research, suggesting that motor skill proficiency could influence academic outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between motor control, mobility, stability-measured by the Functional Movement Screen (FMS)-and academic performance among high school students. Conducted with 201 participants from a public high school in Spain, this descriptive non-experimental research divided students into high and low academic performance groups based on their average grade scores, with the median used as the criterion for distinction. The FMS was utilized to assess fundamental motor skills, and academic performance was verified across mathematics, language, science, and physical education subjects. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between the FMS scores and academic achievement (r = 0.691; p < 0.001), indicating that students with higher motor skill proficiency had higher academic achievement. This correlation persisted across the various subjects, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating physical education and motor skill development into educational strategies. The study's results suggest that educational policies should advocate for comprehensive physical education programs to foster both physical well-being and academic improvement, thereby promoting a holistic educational model that enhances student performance across disciplines.

Exploring the mediating role of promoting school physical activity on the relationship between low socioeconomic status and academic achievement and school climate: evidence from 4,990 Chilean schools

There is evidence that promoting school physical activity (PSPA) benefits children and adolescents, but little is understood about how this promotion may relate to academic achievement and school climate across varying levels of socioeconomic status (SES). Hence, the study aimed to address this knowledge gap by examining two main objectives: (1) determining the association between PSPA and academic achievement and school climate according to schools' SES and (2) exploring the potential mediating role of PSPA in the relationship between schools' SES and academic achievement and school climate. This cross-sectional study at the school level focused on 4,990 schools (including public, subsidized, and private schools) that participated in the National Educational Study 2018 (Chile), which was applied to primary schoolchildren (4th grade, aged 8-10 years). Schools were divided into non-PSPA (n = 4,280) and PSPA (n = 710) during the year 2018. Changes in academic achievement from 2017 to 2018 and school climate were considered. PSPA was associated with improvements in maths (low-SES OR: 1.80, p < 0.001) and reading (middle-SES OR: 1.45, p = 0.029; low-SES OR: 1.47, p < 0.001). The indirect effect (IE) showed that PSPA partially mediated the relationship between SES and academic achievement in reading (IE = 1.017; SE = 0.12; 95%CI, -1.27, -0.77), maths (IE = -1.019; SE = 0.12; 95%CI, -1.25, -0.78), and school climate (IE = -0.46; SE = 0.52; 95%CI, -0.56, -0.35). In conclusion, PSPA was linked to positive changes in academic achievement, especially among low SES, and PSPA presented a potential mediating role in the relationship between SES of schools and academic achievement and school climate.

Associations of ADHD-Risk and Motor Competence With School Functioning

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the unique associations of motor competence and ADHD risk status on school functioning. Additionally, this study examined the factor structure of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Short Form (BOT2-SF).

METHODS

Participants included early elementary school children (N = 202, Mage = 6.83, SD = 0.96, Male = 53.5%, ADHD-risk = 46.5%). Child assessments of motor competence and teacher and parent reports of school functioning were used.

RESULTS

A two-factor model of the BOT2-SF with correlated fine and gross motor factors and correlated residuals best fit the data. Fine and gross motor competence were unique positive predictors of academic performance, after accounting for the effects of ADHD-risk on academic performance. ADHD-risk was the only unique predictor of adaptive school behavior.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that assessing for ADHD and motor competence in children demonstrating school functioning problems may better allow for targeted intervention in school.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Motor Coordination, and Academic Achievement in School Students (11-13 years)

Objective. This study aimed to investigate the association between motor coordination (MC), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and academic achievement (AA) among school students aged 11 to 13 in the West Bank/Palestine. Methods. A total of 252 students were assessed through tests measuring gross and fine motor coordination (Flamingo balance, plate tapping, and other tests). The CRF was evaluated by the 3-minute step test, while AA was measured using grade point average (GPA) and subject-specific grades. Results. A significant correlation was recorded between MC, CRF, and AA (P = .00), rs range (0.436-0.718); Students who engaged in physical activity demonstrated better MC, CRF, and AA compared to their inactive counterparts (P = .00, Cohen's d ranged between 0.53 and 1.35). Conclusion. Enhanced MC and CRF significantly impacted AA, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large. Promoting physical activity interventions is vital to improve MC and CRF which could positively improve academic achievement among school students.

Global hotspots and trends in research on preschool children's motor development from 2012 to 2022: a bibliometric analysis

Background

Motor development plays an important role in human development throughout the lifespans, from conception to death, and has received increasing scholarly attention in recent years. However, valuable comprehensive reviews and literature analysis on this topic are still lacking. Here, this bibliometric study aimed to identify global motor development research hotspots and trends on preschool children's motor development from 2012 to 2022.

Methods

CiteSpace 6.1.R4 was used to visualize and analyze general bibliometric characteristics, research hotspots, and trends through a review of 2,583 articles on the motor development of preschool children, which were published from 2012 to 2022 and included in the Web of Science Core Collection.

Results

Research on motor development in preschool children has been carried out into a phase of rapid development. The top five frequently occurring keywords were physical activity (n = 489), performance (n = 319), intervention (n = 222), health (n = 196), and executive function (n = 165); The top five keywords in terms of centrality are academic achievement (0.22), low birth weight (0.16), association (0.14), brain (0.13), and cerebral palsy (0.13). Thirteen keyword clusters were produced from the log-likelihood ratio (Q = 0.74, S = 0.88), and five research topics has been received focused attention in recent years. The keywords with the strongest citation bursts in the last 5 years are developing country (S = 5.92), school-aged children (S = 5.86), middle-income country (S = 3.46), efficacy (S = 5.41), readiness (S = 3.21), motor proficiency (S = 3.6), and screen time (S = 3.3), indicating newly emerging research trends.

Conclusion

The results indicated that interventions involving fundamental movement skills, cognitive function, 24-h movement behaviors, neurodevelopmental disorders, and health-related fitness were hot topics in the field of motor development over the last decade. Emerging research trends generally center on school readiness, socioeconomic status, motor proficiency, and screen time.

Influence of long-term participation in amateur sports on physical posture of teenagers

Aim

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the influence of long-term participating in amateur sports on body posture of school students.

Methods

A survey on sport participation was conducted on 1,658 volunteer students aged from 6 to 17 years in two primary schools and one meddle school in Tianjin city. The PA200LE body posture evaluation system and a SpineScanSH-115 electronic spine measuring instrument were used to assess the participants' body posture. According to the survey results and against the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1,124 eligible participants were divided into seven sport participation groups and seven age-matched control groups for statistical comparisons.

Results

Compared with the age-matched controls, the natural standing thoracic kyphosis angle of the swimming group (35.0 ± 9.5 VS 31.2 ± 8.5; t =  - 2.560; p = 0.011) and the football group (34.6 ± 7.2 VS 31.9 ± 7.5; t =  - 2.754; p = 0.006) were found to be significantly larger; the natural standing lumbar lordosis angle (-23.0 ± 11.0 VS -27.0 ± 11.1; t = 0.344; p = 0.024) and the upright sitting lumbar lordosis angle (-11.7 ± 8.4 VS -15.2 ± 12.3; t = 5.738; p = 0.030) of the swimming group was significantly smaller; the upright sitting thoracic kyphosis angle of the running group (25.1 ± 9.3 VS 22.6 ± 9.9; t =  - 1.970; p = 0.050) was significantly larger; the upright sitting thoracic kyphosis angle (23.9 ± 8.9 VS 27.0 ± 7.6; t = 2.096; p = 0.038), the learning position thoracic kyphosis angle (31.0 ± 8.6 VS 37.1 ± 8.9; t = 3.076; p = 0.003), the shoulder level (-1.3 ± 2.1 VS 0.0 ± 2.5; t = 2.389; p = 0.019) and waist level (-1.2 ± 1.7 VS -0.3 ± 1.7; t = 2.511; p = 0.013) of the table tennis group were significantly smaller.

Conclusions

The results showed that long-term participation in recreational sports training had an impact on the physical posture of adolescents.

Inverted U-Shaped Relationship between Physical Activity and Academic Achievement among Chinese Adolescents: On the Mediating Role of Physical and Mental Health

We aimed to clarify the relationship between Chinese adolescents' physical activity and academic achievement, the mediating role of physical and mental health, and provide a scientific reference for the integration of sports and education. Based on baseline data from the China Education Panel Survey, we conducted a nationwide study of 12,960 adolescents. We used nonlinear models, mediation effect analysis, and other measurement methods. Three significant findings emerged: (1) adolescent physical activity duration and academic achievement showed an inverted U-shaped relationship. Moderate physical activity improves academic achievement. The inverted U-shaped inflection point is about 3.549 h/week; (2) physical activity among the male group has a stronger effect on promoting academic achievement, while the positive effect of physical activity among females is not significant. The difference in effectiveness between urban and rural youth groups is relatively small, but the inflection point of rural youth groups is higher, and (3) the level of physical and mental health effectively mediates the inverted U-shaped influence of youth physical activity on academic achievement. We recommend that governments and schools should implement physical activity appropriately and suggest the feasibility of using physical activity to narrow the growth gap between urban and rural youth.