The Relationship Between Middle School Students' Perceptions of Physical Activity, Student Engagement, and Academic Achievement

<p>Physical activity is important, and many adolescents are not meeting the recommendation that youth participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week (CDC, 2011). Physical inactivity among middle school students is on the rise and may be a contributing factor to a decline in academic performance. Prior research has focused primarily on bodily health; however, growing evidence supports the benefits of physical activity for academic achievement (Chomitz et al., 2009). This study examined the relationship between middle school students' perceptions of physical activity and student engagement they relate to academic achievement among 179 middle school students in one suburban middle school. Additionally, this study sought to investigate students' perceptions of physical activity as well as the context within which these perceptions take place, which may lead to more effective strategies to help improve academic achievement. Propositions from Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory were used to examine the different factors influencing the relationship between middle school students' perceptions of physical activity and student engagement as they relate to academic achievement.</p> <p>This study is predominantly a correlational and regression design, which examines relationships and predictive ability of key variables. This research design will add depth to the study by investigating the social influences in schools regarding the relationship between physical activity, student engagement, and academic achievement</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year dc:date.available

2012

Author dc:creator

• Moretti, Jeremy D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Karen Riley, Ph.D.
• Kathy Green
• Nicholas Cutforth
• Kathy Ohman

• Academic achievement
• Obesity
• Physical activity
• Student engagement
• Child Psychology
• Health and Physical Education
• Psychology

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/449

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-1448