The effectiveness of school physical education on students' cognitive competence: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction: School physical education plays an important role in improving the cognitive competencies of students. The theoretical background related to how school physical education positively influences students' cognitive domains has been consistently structured; however, there are few previous studies that have systematically analyzed how physical education interventions produce positive outcomes related to learners' cognitive competencies. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effectiveness of physical education interventions on students' cognitive competencies.

Evidence acquisition: The study involved searching for related quantitative research studies through electronic research databases including SPORTDiscus, ScienceDirect, and MEDLINE Patent Applications and conducting a screening process considering the purpose of the meta-analysis. The present study assessed for a risk of bias, extracted data, and conducted a meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of physical education interventions.

Evidence synthesis: According to the results of the meta-analysis, school physical education has a significant impact on students' cognitive competencies such as intelligence and academic achievement. In terms of the characteristics of the interventions, the effectiveness of aerobic exercise rooted in physical education was more significant than that of model-based physical education or traditional physical education.

Conclusions: Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the present study concluded that school physical education has a statistically significant impact on changing students' cognitive conditions; however, there is need for a follow-up study on how the contents of school physical education and the methods of teaching have distinct effects on students' cognitive competencies.