The relations between physical activity, fundamental movement skills, spatial abilities, and mathematics achievement among lower Key Stage 2 children

Research suggests positive associations between fundamental movement skills (FMS) proficiency and academic achievement, specifically in mathematics, among children and adolescents. Positive associations between participation in physical activity (PA) and mathematics achievement have also been reported among children. Previous research concludes that spatial abilities are improved after motor coordination and PA interventions and that specific spatial abilities predict mathematical achievement. This highlights that spatial ability may explain these positive associations found among children. However, no study has investigated this network of relations together.

This thesis examined the network of relations between PA participation, FMS proficiency, spatial ability, and mathematics achievement among primary school children. All three studies (Chapters 3 to 5) examined the association between FMS proficiency and mathematics achievement among primary school children, and whether spatial ability mediated this association. The third study (Chapter 5) additionally examined the association between participation in PA and mathematics achievement among primary school children, and whether FMS proficiency and spatial ability mediated this association. To begin with, a cross-sectional study was conducted within 154 primary school children (aged 7 to 8 years old) in England (Chapter 3). The children completed an FMS assessment, assessing locomotion, object manipulation, and stabilisation skills, four tests assessing intrinsic-static (IS), intrinsic-dynamic (ID), extrinsic-static (ES), and extrinsicdynamic (ED) spatial ability, and a standardised mathematics assessment. Results found that FMS proficiency was significantly positively correlated with mathematics achievement, and this association was mediated by IS spatial ability. These findings suggest that children with more proficient FMS perform better in mathematics assessments, and this might be explained by children having greater IS spatial ability. Study 2 (Chapter 4) replicated this research study, addressing previous limitations. The mediation effects of ID and ES spatial ability were unable to be determined in Study 1, ii due to these spatial ability assessments not appropriately assessing these abilities in this sample age group. Study 2 replicated the methods utilised in Study 1 within 179 primary school children aged 7 to 8 years old but used age-appropriate ID and ES spatial ability tests instead. Results found a significant positive correlation between FMS proficiency and total mathematics achievement, and that IS, ES, and ED spatial ability mediated this association.

To begin with, a cross-sectional study was conducted within 154 primary school children (aged 7 to 8 years old) in England (Chapter 3). The children completed an FMS assessment, assessing locomotion, object manipulation, and stabilisation skills, four tests assessing intrinsic-static (IS), intrinsic-dynamic (ID), extrinsic-static (ES), and extrinsicdynamic (ED) spatial ability, and a standardised mathematics assessment. Results found that FMS proficiency was significantly positively correlated with mathematics achievement, and this association was mediated by IS spatial ability. These findings suggest that children with more proficient FMS perform better in mathematics assessments, and this might be explained by children having greater IS spatial ability.

Study 2 (Chapter 4) replicated this research study, addressing previous limitations. The mediation effects of ID and ES spatial ability were unable to be determined in Study 1, ii due to these spatial ability assessments not appropriately assessing these abilities in this sample age group. Study 2 replicated the methods utilised in Study 1 within 179 primary school children aged 7 to 8 years old but used age-appropriate ID and ES spatial ability tests instead. Results found a significant positive correlation between FMS proficiency and total mathematics achievement, and that IS, ES, and ED spatial ability mediated this association. ID spatial ability did not serve as a mediator. These results confirm the findings from Study 1 and further suggest that children with more proficient FMS may have more developed spatial abilities, and this higher spatial ability performance aids mathematical learning.

Study 3 (Chapter 5) built upon this observed network of relations found in Study 1 and Study 2 by including PA participation within the network. A cross-sectional study collected data on 182 7-to-8-year-old’s PA levels, FMS proficiency, spatial ability, and mathematics achievement. Objective assessment of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was significantly positively correlated with mathematics achievement, however, parental reports of the number of hours their children participated in PA in a week was not. No significant mediation effects of FMS proficiency and spatial ability were found on the correlation between MVPA and mathematics achievement. These results suggest that the more time children spent undertaking MVPA per day, the higher their mathematics scores, and FMS and spatial ability may not be related to MVPA in this network. The results of this thesis contribute to the understanding of the individual associations that are present between these factors, confirming previous research, but also provide novel insight into the network of relations between these factors in mid-childhood.