ArticlePloS one2025
Relation between motor competence and academic achievement: The mediating role of fitness and cognition in boys and girls.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Comparative effects of physical education interventions on motor ability and executive function in junior high school students and their interrelationships.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- Academic achievement map: a clear cognitive route and a promising motor path.Jornal de pediatria · 2026Article
- Associations Between Motor Competence, Health-Related Physical Fitness, and Mental Health Outcomes in Spanish Adolescents: The ENERGYCO Study.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026Article
- Hierarchical motor competencies and academic achievement: visual-motor integration as the key correlate for school-age children in a disadvantaged context.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
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7 authors.
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Abstract
introductionGross motor competence is positively associated with academic achievement in schoolchildren, potentially mediated by fitness and cognition. However, the extent to which these mediators contribute-and whether effects differ by sex-remains unclear. This study explored the mediating roles of specific fitness components and executive function in the relationship between gross motor competence and academic achievement, considering sex differences.
methodsThis cross-sectional study included 562 Spanish schoolchildren aged 9-11 years (293 girls). Gross motor competence was evaluated using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition; fitness components (cardiorespiratory fitness, speed/agility, upper and lower body strength) through the ALPHA-Fitness test battery; executive function using the NIH Toolbox Battery; and academic achievement from school grades in language and mathematics. Serial multiple mediation models were applied using the PROCESS macro in SPSS, adjusted for age, BMI, and maternal education level. Analyses were conducted for the total sample and by sex.
resultsBoth fitness and executive function partially mediated the relationship between gross motor competence and academic achievement. In the total sample, direct effects explained most of the association (51-73%), followed by the cognitive pathway (20-31%), fitness pathway (11-19%), and multiple pathway-gross motor competence, fitness, executive function, and academic achievement-(4-9%). Sex-specific analyses showed that cognitive mediation was predominant in boys, accounting for over half of the total effect (56-69%), with no direct effect observed. In contrast, fitness mediation was more relevant in girls, especially through cardiorespiratory fitness and speed/agility, each contributing up to 20% of the effect. The multiple pathway was also significant in girls.
conclusionsEnhancing motor competence may improve academic outcomes, partly through gains in fitness and executive function. These findings support implementing integrated school programs, tailored to sex-specific needs-emphasizing cognitively engaging activities for boys and fitness-focused strategies for girls. The cross-sectional design implies association, not causality.
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