Does exercise relate to college students’ academic engagement?
Among 1,596 non-PE students, exercise correlated modestly with academic engagement (r=0.207) and self-efficacy (r=0.218); self-efficacy strongly tracked engagement (r=0.811) and mediated ~85% of the exercise–engagement link.
Source
Correlational research on college students' physical exercise behavior, academic engagement, and self-efficacy
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cross-sectional — Stratified random survey of non-PE college students; PARS-3, UWES, GSES; ANOVA, correlation, regression, mediation
- N
- N=1596 · 1,596 valid questionnaires from non-physical-education college students (Fuzhou-limited sample)
- Population
- Non-physical-education college students
- Outcome
- Associations among physical exercise, academic engagement, and self-efficacy (mediation)
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What they did
Used stratified random sampling and PARS-3, UWES, and GSES scales; analyzed 1,596 valid surveys with ANOVA, correlations, regression, and bootstrap mediation in SPSS/AMOS.
What they found
Exercise correlated with engagement (r=0.207) and self-efficacy (r=0.218); engagement with self-efficacy r=0.811. Indirect effect via self-efficacy was 0.0133 (84–84.7% of total); direct effect 0.0025 (16%), both with CIs excluding zero — partial mediation.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Cross-sectional self-reports cannot prove exercise causes better studying; sample is Fuzhou university students, not PE majors, and common-method bias remains possible.
Key terms
- PARS-3
- Physical Activity Rating Scale used to index exercise behavior.
- UWES
- Utrecht Work Engagement Scale adapted to academic engagement (vigor, dedication, absorption).
- Self-efficacy
- Here measured with the General Self-Efficacy Scale (labeled GESE in the paper).
- Partial mediation
- Self-efficacy carried most of the exercise–engagement association, but a small direct path remained.
- Stratified random sampling
- Survey design used to recruit non-PE college students.
Flashcards
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Quiz yourself
Valid N was about:
Common questions
How many surveys were analyzed?
1,596 valid questionnaires.
How strong was exercise vs engagement?
r = 0.207, p < 0.01.
How much of the total effect was mediation?
About 84.7% (ab/c), with direct effect still significant.
Who was sampled?
Non-PE college students; authors note a Fuzhou limitation.
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