Dinter, R. van (Renée) (2019) Is there a mediating role of executive functioning in the relationship between aerobic fitness and academic achievement in adolescents? thesis, Human Movement Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Introduction: Aerobic fitness seems to have a relation with academic achievement, in which executive functioning plays a role. This assumption is highly relevant, especially in adolescence, a time with considerable hormonal, behavioural, cognitive and physical changes and developments. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a mediating role of executive functioning in the relationship between aerobic fitness and academic achievement in adolescents. Methods: This study included 113 adolescents (13.49 ± 0.50 years old, 51% girls) from three different secondary schools. Ten of the adolescents followed Lower General Secondary Education and 103 adolescents followed Higher General Secondary Education or Pre-University Education. Aerobic fitness was measured with the 20 m shuttle run test and 10 x 5 m sprint test, executive functioning was measured with verbal working memory (Digit Span test), visual working memory (Klingberg test) and inhibition (Flanker test), and academic achievement was measured with the Dutch Child Academic Monitoring System (CAMS) language and CAMS mathematics. An exploratory factory analysis and three linear regressions were analysed. Age, gender and school track were added as covariances. If the three regression coefficients were significant, a mediation analysis was done. Results: The exploratory factor analysis showed that three components could be identified: aerobic fitness, executive functioning and academic achievement. However, verbal working memory loaded higher on academic achievement than on executive functioning. Therefore, academic achievement was classified with CAMS language, CAMS mathematics and verbal working memory. Linear regression analysis showed a significant relation between executive functioning and academic achievement. No significant relations were found between aerobic fitness and executive functioning or between aerobic fitness and academic achievement. The covariance school track was in all the three models significant. A mediator analysis was not conducted, because only one of the three regression models showed a significant result. Conclusion: This study did not confirm a relation between aerobic fitness and executive functioning or between aerobic fitness and academic achievement in adolescents. Therefore, the mediating role of executive functioning in the relationship between aerobic fitness and academic achievement in adolescents could not be analysed. However, a significant relation between executive functioning and academic achievement was found. This highlights the importance of focussing on executive functioning in adolescents in schools and not mainly on academic achievement. Future studies should include a larger sample of adolescents from different school tracks. Keywords: Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Physical Activity, Cognitive Function, Education
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Hartman, dr. E. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 16 May 2022 09:52 |
| Last Modified: | 16 May 2022 09:52 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3342 |
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