Physical Fitness Level And Personality Traits At Age Six: Longitudinal Relationship With The Big Five

Abstract

PURPOSE:To examine the longitudinal change of the Big Five factors of personality in children aged six years with high and low physical fitness(PF) levels. METHODS:The participants were 186 six-year-old children (87 boys, 99 girls). To measure PF level, PF tests for young children were conducted. Principal component analysis was performed for the seven PF test parameters, and the first principal component scores were converted into T scores classified by sex and age (categories spanning 0.5 years), which were treated as overall PF scores. To investigate children’s personalities with regard to the Big Five factors of personality, a questionnaire survey was administered to the children’s teachers. The five main factors of personality traits were “openness(O),” “conscientiousness(C),” “neuroticism(N),” “extraversion(E),” and “agreeableness(A).” Based on the overall PF score at age six we divided the participants into a higher PF level group (upper 25%, 47 participants) and lower PF level group (lower 25%, 47 participants). We conducted a two-factor analysis of variance (PF level × age) that corresponded to only one factor concerning the evaluation. When a significant main effect was observed, multiple comparison test (Tukey's HSD) was conducted. The statistical significance level of this study was less than 5%. RESULTS:“O” was significantly higher in the higher PF level group at ages five and six. “C” and “E” were significantly higher in the higher PF level group at ages four and six. “A” was significantly higher at ages four, five, and six in the higher PF level group. For “A,” a significant difference was found between the age of four and six and five and six in both groups, and for “E,” a significant difference was observed only in the higher PF level group, between the ages of four and five, four and six, and five and six. CONCLUSION:It was suggested that “A” and “E” are particularly fostered from the ages of five to six. It was inferred that personality characteristics were nurtured through physical activities such as athletic play, which involve communicating with multiple persons and obeying rules.