ADDIS ABABA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

PHYSICAL FITNESS ASSIGNMENT

THE EFFECT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON
ACADEMIC ACHIEVMENT

FRESHMAN COURSE SECTION 5

 ASHENAFI TSEGAYE WELDEMIKAEL

ID NUMBER SIGNATURE

UGR/5963/14

SUBMITTED TO: MS. BETHELHEM ALEMNEW

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 4/7/2022
 The effect of physical activity on academic
achievement

Introduction
Mainly good academic performance gained from a complex
interaction between intellect and contextual variables .however, health
is significant moderating factor in a persons ability to learn. The idea
that healthy person learn better is empirically supported and well
accepted , and multiple studies have showed that health benefits are
associated with physical activity, including cardiovascular and
muscular fitness, bone health, psychosocial outcomes, and cognitive
and brain health.
the brain is responsible for both mental processes and physical actions
of the human body, brain health is important across the life span. In
adults, brain health, representing absence of disease and optimal
structure and function, is measured in terms of quality of life and
effective functioning in activities of daily living. In children, brain
health can be measured in terms of successful development of
attention, on-task behavior, memory, and academic performance in an
educational setting.
Before outlining the health benefits of physical activity and fitness, it
is important to note that many factors influence academic
performance. Among these are socioeconomic status, parental
involvement…, A valuable predictor of student academic
performance is a parent having clear expectations for the child's
academic success. Attendance is another factor having a significant
impact on academic performance Because children must be present to
learn the desired content, attendance should be measured in
considering factors related to academic performance.
PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: RELATION
TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Physical exercise statuses are capable to ameliorate bone and
musculoskeletal function and help to relieve stress, depression, and
frustration during academic learnedness. Generally, the antecedent
study findings from large-scale experimental studies indicate that
participation in physical exertion features a small to moderate effect
in precluding and guidance of the chance of frustration, stress also
anxiety which consecutively has a correlation on academic
achievement and cerebral state. Physical exertion may be a fairly
cheap and non-harmful life intervention that will fluently be enforced
into academy settings.
Children respond faster and with greater accuracy to a variety of
cognitive tasks after participating in a session of physical activity
When physical activity is used as a break from academic learning
time, post engagement effects include better attention ,increased on-
task behaviors and improved academic performance More important,
teachers can offer physical activity breaks as part of a supplemental
curriculum or simply as a way to reset student attention during class
and when provided with minimal training can efficaciously produce
vigorous or moderate energy expenditure in students Further, after-
school physical activity programs have demonstrated the ability to
improve cardiovascular endurance, and this increase in aerobic fitness
has been shown to mediate improvements in academic performance as
well as the allocation of neural resources underlying performance on a
working memory task

THE DEVELOPING bRAIN, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND

BRAIN HEALTH
The study of brain health has grown beyond simply measuring
behavioral outcomes such as task performance and reaction time (e.g.,
cognitive processing speed). New technology has emerged that has
allowed scientists to understand the impact of lifestyle factors on the
brain from the body systems level down to the molecular level. A
greater understanding of the cognitive components that subserve
academic performance and may be amenable to intervention has
thereby been gained. Research conducted in both laboratory and field
settings has helped define this line of inquiry and identify some
preliminary underlying mechanisms.
From an authentic and practical to a mechanistic perspective,
physically active and aerobically fit children consistently outperform
their inactive and unfit peers academically on both a short- and a
long-term basis. Time spent engaged in physical activity is related not
only to a healthier body but also to enriched cognitive development
and lifelong brain health. Collectively, the findings across the body of
literature in this area suggest that increases in aerobic fitness, derived
from physical activity, are related to improvements in the integrity of
brain structure and function that underlie academic performance. The
strongest relationships have been found between aerobic fitness and
performance in mathematics, reading, and English. For children in a
school setting, regular participation in physical activity is particularly
beneficial with respect to tasks that require working memory and
problem solving. These findings are corroborated by the results of
both authentic correlational studies and experimental randomized
controlled trials.
Both habitual and single bouts of physical activity contribute to
enhanced academic performance. Findings indicate a robust
relationship of acute exercise to increased attention, with evidence
emerging for a relationship between participation in physical activity
and disciplinary behaviors, time on task, and academic performance.
Specifically, higher-fit children allocate greater resources to a given
task and demonstrate less reliance on environmental cues or teacher
prompting
How Physical Activity Affects the
Brain
Cognitive skills and motor skills appear to develop through a
dynamic interaction .Research has shown that physical movement
can affect the brain’s physiology by increasing
• Cerebral capillary growth.•
• Blood flow.•
• Oxygenation.•
• Production of neurotrophins.•
• Growth of nerve cells in the•
hippocampus (center of learning and
memory).
• Neurotransmitter levels.•
• Development of nerve connections.•
• Density of neural network.•
• Brain tissue volume.•
These physiological changes may be
associated with
• Improved attention.•
• Improved information processing,•
storage, and retrieval.
• Enhanced coping.•
• Enhanced positive affect.•
• Reduced sensations of cravings and PAN •
Physical activity linked to higher grades
According to the US CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION(CDC), physical activity has an impact on cognitive
skills such as concentration and attention, and it also enhances
classroom attitudes and behaviours, all of which are important
components of improved academic performance.
A study from the University of Illinois showed that children who
are physically fit are more likely to perform better in
school  and achieve higher grades.
Children participating in the study were given
electroencephalograms (EEGs) to measure brain waves and
how fast the brain responds to certain stimuli. Researchers
found that the brain synapses of physically fit children fired
faster and stronger, and as a result those children had better
language skills The more physically fit children were not only
better at reading, but they were also better at reading passages
with several grammatical errors. The researchers looked at the
brainwave patterns that deal with language and the ability to
spot errors in grammar. The fit children had strong results with
 both brain wave groups and a better understanding of
nonsensical or error-filled sentences.
Another study also found positive associations between
physical fitness, cognitive function and academic achievement.
The evidence indicated that physical activity has a relationship
to parts of the brain that support complex cognitive processes
during laboratory tasks. It also showed that physical activity is
important for growth, development and general health.
At the Copenhagen Consensus Conference 2016, which
gathered 24 researchers from eight countries and from various
academic disciplines, physical activity was also found to boost
brain power and academic performance, among other benefits.
The consensus statement, which was published in the British
Journal of Sports Medicine lists the reason why physical activity
is beneficial for children and adolescents aged 6-18.
benefits of physical activity for students are
Improves school attendance. Students who participate in regular physical activity are less
likely to get sick and be absent. The immune system gets stronger and ready to fight
illnesses better
Improves sleep quality. Students that participate in physical activity get better sleep and
achieve a deeper sleep that helps their body to recover from exercise. Better sleep increases
their ability to focus or concentrate their energy levels, and better manage stress.

Develops better social and problem-solving skills. Participating in activities that include

working with others on a team or a group help students develop positive social and
problem-solving skills. Students learn to cooperate with others, encourage teammates, and
achieve a goal

More energy. A body in motion, stays in motion. When a student participates in regular
physical activity, they will have more energy and be alert throughout their day. This helps
them engage in their learning and enjoy class.