Can Exercise Make You Smarter: A Relationship between Physical Activity and GPA
Primary Faculty Mentor’s Name
Dr. Helen Bland
Proposal Track
Student
Session Format
Poster
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physical activity influenced grade point average. The researcher hypothesized that individuals who exercised more frequently will have higher grade point averages (GPA). Both male and female college students reported that the main reason for exercising is to improve physical appearance (Bridges et al., 2005). Although it is known that physical activity has major health benefits, many barriers to exercising affect college students such as, school workload, lack of sleep and motivation (Bray et al., 2004). The research design used was a quantitative, descriptive, non-experimental, one-shot study in which participants were given a 17-question survey measuring physical activity (n=102). The sampling methodology conducted in this research was a non-probability, sample of convenience. Descriptive and inferential statistics reported means and a significant difference. Data analysis indicated that 48.0% of the participants were not physically active in the morning during the last 7 days, while 32.4% of the participants were physically active 2 or 3 times after lunch and before supper. Higher GPA was not linked significantly to physical activity (p>0.10) yet, when students were asked how they were performing academically, those who rated themselves as “above average” were significantly more likely to engage in physical activity (p
Keywords
Physical activity, Academic performance, College students
Location
Concourse/Atrium
Presentation Year
2014
Start Date
11-15-2014 9:40 AM
End Date
11-15-2014 10:55 AM
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Brown, Fallon, "Can Exercise Make You Smarter: A Relationship between Physical Activity and GPA" (2014). Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (2014-2015). 45.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gurc/2014/2014/45
Can Exercise Make You Smarter: A Relationship between Physical Activity and GPA
Concourse/Atrium
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physical activity influenced grade point average. The researcher hypothesized that individuals who exercised more frequently will have higher grade point averages (GPA). Both male and female college students reported that the main reason for exercising is to improve physical appearance (Bridges et al., 2005). Although it is known that physical activity has major health benefits, many barriers to exercising affect college students such as, school workload, lack of sleep and motivation (Bray et al., 2004). The research design used was a quantitative, descriptive, non-experimental, one-shot study in which participants were given a 17-question survey measuring physical activity (n=102). The sampling methodology conducted in this research was a non-probability, sample of convenience. Descriptive and inferential statistics reported means and a significant difference. Data analysis indicated that 48.0% of the participants were not physically active in the morning during the last 7 days, while 32.4% of the participants were physically active 2 or 3 times after lunch and before supper. Higher GPA was not linked significantly to physical activity (p>0.10) yet, when students were asked how they were performing academically, those who rated themselves as “above average” were significantly more likely to engage in physical activity (p
