Although the positive effects of different kinds of physical activity (PA) on cognitive functioning have already been demonstrated in a variety of studies, the role of cognitive engagement in promoting children’s executive functions is still unclear. The aim of the current study was therefore to investigate the effects of two qualitatively different chronic PA interventions on executive functions in primary school children. Children (N = 181) aged between 10 and 12 years were assigned to either a 6-week physical education program with a high level of physical exertion and high cognitive engagement (team games), a physical education program with high physical exertion but low cognitive engagement (aerobic exercise), or to a physical education program with both low physical exertion and low cognitive engagement (control condition). Executive functions (updating, inhibition, shifting) and aerobic fitness (multistage 20-m shuttle run test) were measured before and after the respective condition. Results revealed that both interventions (team games and aerobic exercise) have a positive impact on children’s aerobic fitness (4–5% increase in estimated VO2max). Importantly, an improvement in shifting performance was found only in the team games and not in the aerobic exercise or control condition. Thus, the inclusion of cognitive engagement in PA seems to be the most promising type of chronic intervention to enhance executive functions in children, providing further evidence for the importance of the qualitative aspects of PA.
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Cognitively Engaging Chronic Physical Activity, But Not Aerobic Exercise, Affects Executive Functions in Primary School Children: A Group-Randomized Controlled Trial
Mirko Schmidt, Katja Jäger, Fabienne Egger, Claudia M. Roebers, and Achim Conzelmann
The Effects of Aerobic Versus Cognitively Demanding Exercise Interventions on Executive Functioning in School-Aged Children: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
Anna Meijer, Marsh Königs, Irene M.J. van der Fels, Chris Visscher, Roel J. Bosker, Esther Hartman, and Jaap Oosterlaan
of exercise on executive function in children ( Singh et al., 2018 ). In the present clustered RCT, we investigated the effects of a school-based aerobic intervention and a cognitively demanding exercise intervention on executive functions in primary school-aged children. Three groups of children
The Provision and Experience of Variety in Physical Activity Settings: A Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Studies
Narelle Eather, Emily McLachlan, Benjamin Sylvester, Mark Beauchamp, Colin Sanctuary, and David Lubans
organizational structure of primary and secondary schools also vary (e.g., primary school students generally have the same teacher for most or all subjects, and secondary school students generally have one teacher for each subject area), the educational settings were evaluated according to level (primary and
What Influences Children’s Physical Activity? Investigating the Effects of Physical Self-Concept, Physical Self-Guides, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation
Lena Henning, Dennis Dreiskämper, Hannah Pauly, Steffen Filz, and Maike Tietjens
strength), more abstract, and organized with cognitive, social, and emotional maturity ( Harter, 1978 , 1999 , 2006 ). The primary school age that ranges from about six to eleven years is a sensitive period in PFSC development, as social comparisons become more obvious and consequently gain in importance
Sex Differences in Perceived Motor Competence After the Children’s Health Activity Motor Program Intervention
Leesi George-Komi, Kara K. Palmer, Stephanie A. Palmer, Michael A. Nunu, and Leah E. Robinson
systematic review . Sports Medicine, 47 ( 9 ), 1795 – 1819 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0697-z 28213755 Trecroci , A. , Invernizzi , P.L. , Monacis , D. , & Colella , D. ( 2021 ). Actual and perceived motor competence in relation to body mass index in primary school-aged children: A
The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Executive Functions Among Youth in Low-Income Urban Schools in the Northeast and Southwest United States
Jesse Mala, Jennifer McGarry, Kristen E. Riley, Elaine C.-H. Lee, and Lindsay DiStefano
functioning and literacy achievement in Grades 1 and 3 of primary school: A longitudinal study . Learning and Individual Differences, 54, 184 – 195 . 10.1016/j.lindif.2017.01.026 de Greeff , J.W. , Bosker , R.J. , Oosterlaan , J. , Visscher , C. , & Hartman , E. ( 2018 ). Effects of physical
Parents on the Concept of Physical Literacy: What Do They Know, What Do They Do, and What Do They Want?
Aaron Simpson, Ben Jackson, Ashleigh L. Thornton, Michael Rosenberg, Brodie Ward, Peter Roberts, Amanda Derbyshire, and Timothy Budden
curriculum and the APLF ( Scott et al., 2021 ). In a recent mixed-methods study reported by Essiet et al. ( 2022 ), Australian primary school teachers highlighted the need to address this curricular misalignment to reduce confusion regarding physical literacy education. In the same study, less than half of
Student Athletes’ Causal Attributions for Sport and School Achievement in Relation to Sport Dropout and Grade Point Average
Milla Saarinen, Raymond Bertram, Kaisa Aunola, Julia Pankkonen, and Tatiana V. Ryba
predict achievement outcomes over a longer period of time. While attributional styles are assumed to be relatively stable over time, the few earlier studies that have longitudinally examined the stability of causal attributions have focused only on the academic domain and were carried out among primary
Effectiveness of Individual Exercise and Sport Counseling Based on Motives and Goals: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Nina Schorno, Vanessa Gut, Achim Conzelmann, and Julia Schmid
Swiss 86% 84% Other 14% 16% Level of education No formal education 0% 3% First-level education (e.g., primary school) 0% 1% Second-level education (e.g., apprenticeship) 43% 34% Third-level education (e.g., university) 57% 56% Other 0% 6% Weekly volume of exercise and sport (last 4 wk) 28
“I Do What I Like”: 8- to 10-Year-Old Children’s Physical Activity Behavior Is Already Interrelated With Their Automatic Affective Processes
Julia Limmeroth and Michaela Raboldt
different primary schools and came from different social backgrounds (e.g., two schools in the city, two schools in the village, and one on the outskirts of the city with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds). The participants’ data were considered for the final analysis when their PA behavior over at least 5
