IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v16y2019i23p4688-d290588.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Effect of Strengthened Physical Education on Academic Achievements in High School Students: A Quasi-Experiment in China

Author

Listed:
  • Yunting Zhang

    (Child Health Advocacy Institute, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
    Both authors contributed equally to the manuscript.)

  • Xiaochen Ma

    (China Center for Health Development Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
    Both authors contributed equally to the manuscript.)

  • Jin Zhao

    (Child Health Advocacy Institute, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China)

  • Hong Shen

    (The Affiliated High School of University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China)

  • Fan Jiang

    (Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
    Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health, Shanghai 200092, China)

Abstract

Objectives: Evidence of school-based physical activity (PA) on academic performance in children and adolescents was inconsistent, especially in high school students who face a high academic burden. In this study, we tested the efficacy of a strengthened physical education (PE) program on academic outcomes in Shanghai. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was conducted to investigate the effect of strengthened PE on academic scores by calculating the grade-cohort difference before and after the intervention. PE curriculum switched from traditional short duration (40 minutes) general fitness training to long duration (90 minutes) specialized sports (e.g., football, aerobics). A total of 460 high school students (236 pre-intervention and 224 post-intervention) were enrolled in grade 10 and followed for two and three semesters. The academic outcome was assessed by district-standardized test scores. A difference-in-difference approach was employed. Results: After two semesters, the standardized Chinese language scores and English language scores for the post intervention group were increased by 0.61 SD (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44, 0.78, p < 0.001) and 0.28 SD (95% CI: 0.09, 0.47, p = 0.01). However, the standardized math scores for the post intervention group were decreased in girls. After three semesters, standardized Chinese language scores for the post intervention group were increased by 0.27 SD (95% CI: 0.06, 0.48, p = 0.01). Math scores and English language scores decreased by 0.18 SD (95% CI: −0.36, −0.01, p = 0.04) and 0.23 SD (95% CI: −0.38, −0.09, p = 0.00), respectively. Conclusion: A school-based physical education program had mixed effects on academic scores in high school students.

Suggested Citation

  • Yunting Zhang & Xiaochen Ma & Jin Zhao & Hong Shen & Fan Jiang, 2019. "The Effect of Strengthened Physical Education on Academic Achievements in High School Students: A Quasi-Experiment in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-11, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:23:p:4688-:d:290588
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/23/4688/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/23/4688/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Telford, R.D. & Cunningham, R.B. & Fitzgerald, R. & Olive, L.S. & Prosser, L. & Jiang, X. & Telford, R.M., 2012. "Physical education, obesity, and academic achievement: A 2-year longitudinal investigation of australian elementary school children," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(2), pages 368-374.
    2. Chu, Jessica Hsiaochieh & Loyalka, Prashant & Chu, James & Qu, Qinghe & Shi, Yaojiang & Li, Guirong, 2015. "The impact of teacher credentials on student achievement in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 14-24.
    3. Jonah E. Rockoff, 2004. "The Impact of Individual Teachers on Student Achievement: Evidence from Panel Data," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 247-252, May.
    4. Hollar, D. & Messiah, S.E. & Lopez-Mitnik, G. & Hollar, T.L. & Almon, M. & Agatston, A.S., 2010. "Effect of a two-year obesity prevention intervention on percentile changes in body mass index and academic performance in low-income elementary school children," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(4), pages 646-653.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sun, Yucheng & Zhou, Xianbo, 2022. "The effect of teacher's concurrent administrative position on students' academic outcomes: Evidence and mechanisms," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Lee, Se Woong & Lee, Eunjung Alice, 2020. "Teacher qualification matters: The association between cumulative teacher qualification and students’ educational attainment," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    3. Rodrigo Antunes Lima & Fernanda Cunha Soares & Jorge Bezerra & Mauro Virgílio Gomes de Barros, 2020. "Effects of a Physical Education Intervention on Academic Performance: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-10, June.
    4. Zheng, Lei & Qi, Xiang & Zhang, Chongjiu, 2023. "Can improvements in teacher quality reduce the cognitive gap between urban and rural students in China?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    5. Feng, Han & Li, Jiayao, 2016. "Head teachers, peer effects, and student achievement," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 268-283.
    6. Graves Jennifer & McMullen Steven & Rouse Kathryn, 2018. "Teacher Turnover, Composition and Qualifications in the Year-Round School Setting," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 18(3), pages 1-27, July.
    7. Murphy, Richard & Weinhardt, Felix & Wyness, Gill, 2021. "Who teaches the teachers? A RCT of peer-to-peer observation and feedback in 181 schools," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    8. Holzapfel, Sarah & Janus, Heiner, 2015. "Improving education outcomes by linking payments to results: an assessment of disbursement-linked indicators in five results-based approaches," IDOS Discussion Papers 2/2015, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    9. Dan Goldhaber & Roddy Theobald, 2013. "Managing the Teacher Workforce in Austere Times: The Determinants and Implications of Teacher Layoffs," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 8(4), pages 494-527, October.
    10. Martin Schlotter & Guido Schwerdt & Ludger Woessmann, 2011. "Econometric methods for causal evaluation of education policies and practices: a non-technical guide," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 109-137.
    11. Matthew A. Kraft & John P. Papay & Olivia L. Chi, 2020. "Teacher Skill Development: Evidence from Performance Ratings by Principals," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(2), pages 315-347, March.
    12. Jo Blanden & Emilia Del Bono & Kirstine Hansen & Birgitta Rabe, 2022. "Quantity and quality of childcare and children’s educational outcomes," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(2), pages 785-828, April.
    13. Gordey A. Yasterbov & Alexey R. Bessudnov & Marina A. Pinskaya & Sergey G. Kosaretsky, 2014. "Contextualizing Academic Performance In Russian Schools: School Characteristics, The Composition Of Student Body And Local Deprivation," HSE Working papers WP BRP 55/SOC/2014, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    14. Karol Jan Borowiecki, 2022. "Good Reverberations? Teacher Influence in Music Composition since 1450," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(4), pages 991-1090.
    15. Koedel Cory & Leatherman Rebecca & Parsons Eric, 2012. "Test Measurement Error and Inference from Value-Added Models," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 12(1), pages 1-37, November.
    16. Gilpin, Gregory A., 2012. "Teacher salaries and teacher aptitude: An analysis using quantile regressions," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 15-29.
    17. Husein Abdul-Hamid & Sarah Mintz & Namrata Saraogi, 2017. "From Compliance to Learning," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 26331, December.
    18. Stacy, Brian, 2014. "Ranking Teachers when Teacher Value-Added is Heterogeneous Across Students," EconStor Preprints 104743, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    19. Sara Wawrzyniak & Marcin Korbecki & Ireneusz Cichy & Agnieszka Kruszwicka & Tomasz Przybyla & Michal Klichowski & Andrzej Rokita, 2022. "Everyone Can Implement Eduball in Physical Education to Develop Cognitive and Motor Skills in Primary School Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-16, January.
    20. Michael Bates & Michael Dinerstein & Andrew C. Johnston & Isaac Sorkin, 2022. "Teacher Labor Market Equilibrium and Student Achievement," CESifo Working Paper Series 9551, CESifo.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:23:p:4688-:d:290588. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.