Direct and indirect effects of physiological, psychological and cognitive variables on academic achievement in children

BackgroundAssociations between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), screen time, psychological well-being, executive functions, and academic achievement have been reported, however, few studies have analysed models considering the effect of all these variables on academic achievement. This study aims to...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Visier Alfonso, María Eugenia, Ros Segura, Laura, Sánchez López, Mairena, Jiménez López, Estela, Martínez Vizcaíno, Vicente José Anastasio
Format: article
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Repository:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
OAI Identifier:oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/39780
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10578/39780
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Academic achievement
Children
Cognitive variables
Effects
Description
Summary:BackgroundAssociations between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), screen time, psychological well-being, executive functions, and academic achievement have been reported, however, few studies have analysed models considering the effect of all these variables on academic achievement. This study aims to analyse the direct and indirect associations of mothers education level, CRF, screen time, psychological well being, executive functions, with academic achievement in schoolchildren, by sex.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional analysis of MOVI-daFit! study including 519 schoolchildren (49.52% girls) aged 9–11 years old. Executive functions were assessed with the NIH Toolbox, CRF with the 20m shuttle run test, academic achievement through the final academic grades in language and mathematics and mothers education level, screen time and well being by questionnaires.ResultsStructural equation modelling revealed that in boys cognitive flexibility had a significant direct effect on academic achievement and screen time a total significant effect on academic achievement. In girls, CRF was associated with inhibition and psychological well-being, and this was associated with academic achievement.ConclusionsPhysiological, psychological, and behavioural variables act together to impact academic achievement, and that differences by sex might exist. Thus, strategies to enhance academic achievement in schoolchildren should consider psychological well-being, CRF, screen time, and sex differences.