Students’ out-of-school physical activity and math performance

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between students’ physical activity (PA) levels and their mathematical ability. For the implementation of this study, a total of 300 students from different schools in central Greece were asked to complete a weighted test of mathematical ability, the Youth Activity Profile questionnaire, as well as a series of demographic data. Cronbach's α reliability index was low for the Youth Activity Profile scale (α = .43 to .67), while the Mathematical Ability Test scale had an acceptable level of internal consistency (α = .78). Correlation analysis showed that out-of-school PA was positively related to mathematical ability, while sedentary behaviors were negatively related to mathematical ability. In addition, statistically significant differences in math ability and out-of-school PA were found due to gender, sports participation, parental education level, and family economic status. Finally, there were statistically significant differences in students’ mathematical competence due to gender, perception of the value of mathematics in everyday life, and interest in mathematics. To conclude, the findings revealed that students who participated in extracurricular sports activities had a better score on the mathematics test.

Keywords: physical activity, testing, math ability