Peer-reviewed article
Students’ aerobic fitness, self-regulation, and mathematical performance in primary school
Silje Eikanger Kvalø, Megan M. McClelland, Edvin Bru, Sindre Mikael Dyrstad ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study looked at how aerobic fitness, self-regulation (children's control over their own behaviour) and maths performance are related in 9–10-year-old primary school students in Norway. It also tested whether a 10-month school-based physical activity programme improved self-regulation, using a cluster-randomised trial with 435 students in nine schools. Self-regulation was strongly linked to maths performance. The physical activity programme did not produce significant improvements in self-regulation compared with control schools.
Key points
- Aerobic fitness was correlated with self-regulation (r = 0.22, p < .001) and with maths scores (r = 0.17, p < 0.01).
- Self-regulation was consistently positively associated with maths performance (B = 0.54, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.64).
- Aerobic fitness was associated with maths performance in partially adjusted models, but the association was no longer significant after adjusting for gender.
- No significant improvements in behavioural self-regulation were seen compared with the control group.
- The authors suggest standard school-based physical activity programmes may lack the cognitive complexity needed to improve independent self-regulation in fifth-graders.
Limitations
The abstract does not say how the intervention was delivered or how well it was implemented, and the associations between fitness, self-regulation and maths cannot show cause and effect. The reported gender-adjusted figures for aerobic fitness are unclear in the abstract, and self-regulation was rated by teachers. Findings come from one age group in Norway.
Abstract
Purpose This study examined the relationships between aerobic fitness, behavioral self-regulation, and mathematics performance in primary school students, and evaluated the effect of a 10-month school-based Physical activity intervention on self-regulation. Methods The Active School study was a ten-month cluster-randomized controlled trial. The sample consisted of 435 students (9–10–years old) in five intervention schools and four control schools. Teachers assessed students’ self-regulation using the Child Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS), at pre- and post-intervention. Aerobic fitness was assessed with a 10-minute interval running test, and mathematical achievement was determined using Norwegian national standardized tests in mathematics. Results Partial correlations indicated that aerobic fitness was significantly correlated with self-regulation ( r = 0.22, p < .001) and with mathematics scores ( r = 0.17, p < 0.01). Linear mixed models showed that self-regulation was consistently positively associated with mathematics performance (B = 0.54, (95%) CI [0.44, 0.64], p < 0.001). Aerobic fitness was positively associated with mathematics performance in partially adjusted models (B = 0.15, (95%) CI [0.006, 0.23], p < 0.001) but this association was no longer significant after adjusting for gender (B = −3.69, (95%) CI [−5.47, −1.19], p < 0.001). No significant improvements in students’ behavioral self-regulation compared to the control group were observed. Conclusion The findings suggest that while cognitive-behavioral processes strongly drive academic performance, standard school-based physical activity programs may lack the necessary cognitive complexity to enhance independent self-regulatory capacities in fifth-grade students.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- A 10-month school-based physical activity intervention (Active School study)
- Population
- 435 students aged 9–10 years in five intervention schools and four control schools in Norway
Key finding
No significant improvements in behavioural self-regulation compared with the control group.
Kvalø et al. · OpenAlex · 7 Oct 2026