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Article

Academic Achievement in Spanish Secondary School Students: The Inter-Related Role of Executive Functions, Physical Activity and Gender

by
Elena Escolano-Pérez
1,* and
Marta Bestué
2
1
Faculty of Education, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
2
Faculty of Human Sciences and Education, University of Zaragoza, 22003 Huesca, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1816; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041816
Submission received: 18 January 2021 / Revised: 8 February 2021 / Accepted: 9 February 2021 / Published: 13 February 2021

Abstract

There is a growing interest in determining which variables contribute to students’ academic performance, since this performance is associated with their wellbeing and with the progress of the nation. This study analyzed whether different variables (executive functions and physical activity levels, gender and academic year) of 177 Spanish Compulsory Secondary School students contributed to their academic performance. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function 2 (BRIEF-2), Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) and an ad hoc questionnaire were used to determine the students’ executive functioning, physical activity level, gender and academic year, respectively. Students’ grades were considered to be indicators of their academic achievement. Seven multiple linear regression models were constructed using the R computing language to examine the association between academic achievement (considered in each of the 5 subjects: Language, Mathematics, Geography and History, English and Physical Education; the mean of the instrumental subjects—Language and Mathematics—and the mean of all the subjects) and the independent variables. The results indicated that executive functions, physical activity and gender contributed to academic performance, but academic year did not. This suggests that students with good executive functions, who perform physical activity and are female, would have better academic achievement. This information should be considered when designing interventions to improve student academic achievement.
Keywords: academic achievement; executive functions; physical activity; gender; academic year; adolescent academic achievement; executive functions; physical activity; gender; academic year; adolescent

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Escolano-Pérez, E.; Bestué, M. Academic Achievement in Spanish Secondary School Students: The Inter-Related Role of Executive Functions, Physical Activity and Gender. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 1816. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041816

AMA Style

Escolano-Pérez E, Bestué M. Academic Achievement in Spanish Secondary School Students: The Inter-Related Role of Executive Functions, Physical Activity and Gender. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(4):1816. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041816

Chicago/Turabian Style

Escolano-Pérez, Elena, and Marta Bestué. 2021. "Academic Achievement in Spanish Secondary School Students: The Inter-Related Role of Executive Functions, Physical Activity and Gender" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 4: 1816. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041816

APA Style

Escolano-Pérez, E., & Bestué, M. (2021). Academic Achievement in Spanish Secondary School Students: The Inter-Related Role of Executive Functions, Physical Activity and Gender. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1816. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041816

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