The relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement

This study examined the relationships between aerobic fitness, as measured by the FITNESSGRAMRTM PACER fitness test scores, and academic achievement, as measured by the Northwest Evaluation and Assessment-Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA-MAP) language and math standardized test scores of 8th grade students. One hundred twenty rural 8th grade male and female students were tested on the Progressive Aerobic Capacity Endurance Run (PACER) aerobic fitness test. Individual lap scores were compared to the NWEA-MAP achievement scores, using a pretest/posttest method of measuring change in the variables. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to measure and describe the relationship between the two quantitative variables. The study revealed no direct statistical relationship between aerobic fitness and standardized test scores and the null hypothesis was accepted. The qualitative data were contradictory to the assumption of no relationship. Individual interviews were conducted with 16 students, 8 male and 8 female, after the analyses of the quantitative data, to identify relationships to motivation and goal orientation. These interviews produced the qualitative data to be coded for analysis and for integration in the study. Data were categorized and sorted thematically according to motivation, peer, parent, and teacher influences. Influence of peers and physical student feelings were found to have the most significant effect on both PACER and MAP. Other variables emerged and were related to the outcomes of both tests. The study results indicate the need to increase student and teacher voices in advocating for physical education programs and existing socially acceptable patterns and rationales for the exclusion or inclusion of daily physical education.