Relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and English performance as foreign language

Bartolomé Pizà-Mir; Eduardo García Mármol; Juan-Carlos De la Cruz-Campos

doi:10.30827/portalin.viVII.29162

Authors

Bartolomé Pizà-Mir Comillas Pontifical University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7140-8933
Eduardo García Mármol University of Granada https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9746-6859
Juan-Carlos De la Cruz-Campos University of Granada https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9263-6799

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.viVII.29162

Keywords:

physical fitness; cardiorespiratory fitness; language learning; physical activity; primary school; secondary school

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and foreign language score, among primary and secondary education students in a group of 223 students (111 of primary school and 122 of secondary school) from Baleares region, Spain, aged between 9 and 16 years old that participated in the study. A statistical regression analysis was carried out for the comparison of the two variables (cardiorespiratory fitness and English subject score) in primary and secondary education. Physical fitness was assessed using the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and the values obtained were shown in VO2_max. English subject scores were collected at the end of the year prior to the test. The results obtained did not reveal any correlation between VO2_max and final English score in primary school (r=.04, p=.65). However, dataset revealed a positive small correlation between VO2_max and final English score in secondary school (r=.26, p=.01). These findings suggest that while physical activity may have some positive effect on final score, the relationship is complex and may be influenced by various other factors. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between physical activity and learning, as well as the potential moderating factors involved.

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Author Biographies

Bartolomé Pizà-Mir, Comillas Pontifical University

PhD in Biology and PhD in Education. Senior Lecturer at CESAG university College
(Comillas Pontifical University) in the department of specific didactics and principal investigator of the i-DEA group (Didactic Research and Advanced Curricular Studies, Investigación Didáctica y Estudios curriculares Avanzados, in spanish).
His main research focuses on the study of the specific didactics of experimental sciences and mathematics, as well as teacher training in different curricular disciplines.

Eduardo García Mármol, University of Granada

PhD in Education from the University of Granada. Lecturer in the Department of Physical Activity and Sport Science in Melilla, University of Granada. Graduated in sports science. Master human nutrition. National training center director.
His lines of research are related to active methodologies (gamification, flipped learning, mobile learning) or technological resources applied to Early Childhood and Primary Education promoting the integral development of students, as well as the training of didactic and technological resources for Higher Education teachers.

Juan-Carlos De la Cruz-Campos, University of Granada

Lecturer in the Department of Didactics and School Organisation at the University of Granada. Doctor Cum Laude in Education from the University of Granada, Graduate in Primary Education from the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences and Diploma in Teaching, specialising in Physical Education from the University of Granada. Member of the AREA Research Group (Analysis of Educational Reality) (HUM-672) since February 2020. His lines of research are related to active methodologies (gamification, flipped learning, mobile learning) or technological resources applied to Early Childhood and Primary Education promoting the integral development of students, as well as the training of didactic and technological resources for Higher Education teachers.

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