The Effects of Physical Activity on Academic Success in Mathematics
Date
2009-07Type of Work
26 p.Text
action research papers
Program
Masters of EducationRights
Collection may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain information or permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Goucher Special Collections & Archives at 410-337-6347 or email archives@goucher.edu.Subjects
Education -- Research papers (Graduate)Physical education and training -- Study and teaching (Middle school)
Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Middle school)
Academic achievement
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of physical activity on the achievement of middle school students in mathematics. This study, occurring over five-weeks, used a pre-test/post-test design. All students were receiving regular instruction in mathematics, using the Everyday Math program, for 45 minutes each day. Students in the treatment group participated in vigorous physical activity for six minutes as a warm-up for their physical education class. Students in the control group received a less vigorous warm-up. All students received instruction in physical education every other day. There was no significant difference between the groups in performance on a common math unit test. However, additional studies are recommended involving more students over a longer period of time in order to further knowledge about the role of physical activity in promoting academic achievement.