Physical Fitness, Grit, School Attendance, and Academic Performance among Adolescents.

Jonathan M Cosgrove,Yen T Chen,Darla M Castelli

doi:10.1155/2018/9801258

Jonathan M Cosgrove, Yen T Chen + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9801258

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Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of grit as a construct representing perseverance to overcoming barriers and the total number of school absences to academic performance (AP) while controlling for sociodemographics, fitness (i.e., PACER), and Body Mass Index (BMI). Methods Adolescents (N = 397, SD = 1.85; 80.9% females; 77.1% Hispanic) from an urban, minority-majority city in the Southern United States completed the FitnessGram® assessment of physical fitness (e.g., aerobic capacity and Body Mass Index (BMI)) and the valid and reliable short grit survey. The schools provided sociodemographics, attendance, and AP data for the adolescents. Results Adolescents with higher grit scores (rs = 0.21, P < 0.001) and less total absences (rs = −0.35, P < 0.001) performed better on AP. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated that grit and absences were associated with AP (β = 0.13, P < 0.01 and β = −0.35, P < 0.001, resp.). Conclusions Grit and a total number of absences are significant contributors to academic success, particularly among Hispanic adolescents. Further, grit and school attendance may serve as a better measure of protective factors over proximal health measures of cardiovascular health and BMI.

Highlights

Following No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which legislated that public school monies would be tied to adequate yearly progress in academic performance (AP), it has been reported that approximately 44% of public school districts reduced resource allocation towards physical education, recess, and/or the arts in favor of increased traditional academic time and test remediation [1]
Over 200 studies suggest that physical fitness and to a lesser degree physical activity are positively related to cognitive performance, few studies have controlled for confounding variables such as age, ethnicity, intelligence, and psychosocial effect related to academic achievement [22]
Multiple Institutional Review Boards approved this study at the university, district, and individual school level, with each governing body requiring that each human subject and a guardian actively consent to participate in this study

Summary

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of grit as a construct representing perseverance to overcoming barriers and the total number of school absences to academic performance (AP) while controlling for sociodemographics, fitness (i.e., PACER), and Body Mass Index (BMI). Adolescents (N = 397, SD = 1.85; 80.9% females; 77.1% Hispanic) from an urban, minority-majority city in the Southern United States completed the FitnessGram assessment of physical fitness (e.g., aerobic capacity and Body Mass Index (BMI)) and the valid and reliable short grit survey. Adolescents with higher grit scores (rs = 0.21, P < 0.001) and less total absences (rs = −0.35, P < 0.001) performed better on AP. Grit and a total number of absences are significant contributors to academic success, among Hispanic adolescents.

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