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Abstract
(1) The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and non-exercise on measures of academic achievement and cognition in pre-adolescent students. (2) In a randomized crossover design, sixty-three participants with a mean age of 13.7 ± 0.47 years completed 20 min of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, or non-exercise with a period of seven days between each bout. Immediately after each bout, participants were tested for academic achievement and cognitive performance. Academic achievement was assessed using standardized, age-appropriate mathematics tests. Cognition was measured using the Dot, Word, and Color tasks of the Stroop Test (Victoria version). (3) Participants scored significantly higher on the mathematics tests (F1,62 = 4.50, p = 0.038) and all elements of the Stroop Test (Dot: F1,62 = 8.14, p = 0.006; Word: F1,62 = 9.90, p = 0.003; Color: F1,62 = 7.57, p = 0.008) following acute resistance exercise as compared to non-exercise. Math test performance was not statistically different between the aerobic and resistance exercise treatments (F1,62 = 0.214, p = 0.645), but participants did perform significantly better on all elements of the Stroop Test following resistance exercise as compared to aerobic exercise (Dot: F1,61 = 25.82, p < 0.001; Word: F1,62 = 14.73, p < 0.001; Color: F1,62 = 20.14, p < 0.001). (4) Resistance exercise acutely influenced academic achievement and cognition in a positive manner. Such results add to the growing body of research that may support an increase in the prescription of varied exercise modalities within school settings for the purposes of improving academic performance and student health.
Highlights
Previous research has shown that students who participate in greater levels of physical activity (PA) show a trend towards increased academic achievement (AA), as measured by grades and cognitive test scores, compared to their less active peers [1]
Participants were all apparently healthy, as defined by their enrollment in physical education (PE) class, and able to participate in regular exercise
Differences in mean math test performance were statistically insignificant between aerobic exercise and non-exercise (F1,62 = 2.43, p = 0.124, η2 = 0.04), and aerobic exercise and resistance exercise (F1,62 = 0.214, p = 0.645, η2 = 0.003)
Summary
Previous research has shown that students who participate in greater levels of physical activity (PA) show a trend towards increased academic achievement (AA), as measured by grades and cognitive test scores, compared to their less active peers [1]. Academic achievement has been positively correlated with physical fitness, and increased involvement in sports and exercise [2,3]. Acute exercise has shown modest, positive effects on a related construct known as executive function [4], a term used to broadly describe controlled cognitive outcomes and higher-level thought processing. Executive functions are frequently measured by constructs such as working memory, Int. J. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 3527; doi:10.3390/ijerph16193527 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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