Physical And Extracurricular Activities

Physical and Extracurricular activities help to improve the academic performance of St. Mary’s School Eight Graders.

Jennifer L. Guerra

Degree in Physiotherapy

Biology and Science Teacher of Saint Mary School

Panama, Republic of Panama.

2011.

Abstract

Most of students of today prefer to watch T.V instead of doing sports ignoring the benefits they are denying to all of their body systems. This project shows the relationship between the practice of physical or extracurricular activities and the academic performance of students. Its purpose is to demonstrate that these activities, practiced under regularly routines, do really help students to improve their academic performance. This study concluded that students who practice physical or extracurricular activities use to get better grades at school because of all the benefits of these activities previously mentioned in this study.

Introduction

In the age of computers and video games, participating in after-school activities is a lost art. School-age children need to supplement their academic activities with extracurricular and physical activities, through which they can release emotions and stress. Several studies prove that such activities contribute significantly to children in school performance in areas such as concentration, hyperactivity, alertness, and learning skills.

Unfortunately, the deprivation of these activities is seen by most parents as a disciplinary measure which is not at all the most successful. Walking to or from school, playing on the playground before school, going to recess during the school day, participating in daily physical education, or playing in their neighborhoods after school are primary activities that children are doing less every day because of their parents issues. Some parents are more concerned about security than their children’s health. For instance, they prefer their children use the computer the whole day but be secure at home instead of running at a park with friends. Sometimes children attend to a school that is located very near their house but they travel by school buses because their parents decided so. Another example is when children do not get good grades at school; parents immediately say: “you are punished, you cannot leave the house, you cannot play, you cannot go out, and you will only study from now on”. I am sure most of us have heard this phrase more than once. It is clear that parents with this point of view are not visualizing the effects of these deprivations on their children at mid and long term.

Children need even more exercise than adults. They should do at least 90 minutes exercise each day in order to enhance the overall functioning of their entire body, experts says. Only one in eight youngsters is getting the recommended 90 minutes of physical activity a day, according to the British Heart Foundation (BHF). And as some of you know, health is the primary factor that can influence children’s academic performance.

This study will show the straight relationship between the practice of physical or extracurricular activities and the students’ academic performance. It is applied to students at a school in Panama City. This school was chosen for this study because of its accessibility and the concession of the permission to get to the population of study.

Saint Mary’s School is a private educative center based on catholic principles that offers the services of Pre-K, Kinder, Elementary and High School education in Panama City and The United States. It was created in 1930 by the Franciscan Sisters, faithful followers of the catholic faith. This school is located in Albrook, in an ecologically privileged area surrounded by a wide variety of trees and a diverse fauna.

This school has an enrollment of 1,753 students, from which 93 are eight graders who are between 13 to 15 years old. These last form our population of study for two main reasons: the few amounts of eight graders who form part of the school band and the large difference in the scores of students who belong to any sport team or extracurricular activities group and those who do not practice any type of physical activity after school.

In this study, students will explore the concept of a balanced lifestyle, analyze their own lifestyle balance, clarify the difference between exercise and physical activity and discussed notions of physical activity for health and fitness. Students will also identify various extracurricular activities that are more suited to specific groups.

Physical activity is defined as any activity that causes your body to work harder than normal. It describes activities that are beyond your daily routine of sitting, standing, and walking up stairs. It differs from exercise in the aspects of time and rigor. Exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness performed in a certain period of time and at certain level of physical demanding.

On the other hand, according to the Oregon Student Assistance Commission, extracurricular activity is any school activity, such as athletics, drama, or music, which offers the student the opportunity to complement his or her classroom experiences.

Both physical and extracurricular activities help students to be more concentrated in class. Physical activity allows students to relieve stress and aggression, thereby bringing better focus to the classroom, and movement during classroom activities can help some students to better engage. Also, Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age. It can also reduce your risk of depression and may help you sleep better. Research has shown that doing aerobic or a mix of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities 3 to 5 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes can give you these mental health benefits. Some scientific evidence has also shown that even lower levels of physical activity can be beneficial.

The high level of failings in the Panamanian education is a matter of concern. Principals, educators, and parents try to find new options every year that can help students to improve their academic performance by going through different programs, plans, and projects. However, they could save money and time if they search in the correct field: Physical. They haven’t taken into account that Physical and Extracurricular Activities help to improve Students’ Academic performance.

Background

A positive relationship of physical activity and academic performance has been explored through several studies conducted in the USA by the California Department of Education; Dwyer, Sallis, Blizzard, Lazarus, & Dean (2001); Dwyer et al. (1983); Linder (1999); Linder (2002); Shephard (1997); Tremblay et al. (2000); and others. These studies support one another in suggesting that when a substantial amount of school time is dedicated to physical activity, academic performance meets and may even exceed that of students not receiving additional physical activity (Shephard, 1997).

Co-author, Debby Mitchell became interested in the link between physical activity and cognitive ability after attending two summer workshops with Phyllis Weikart, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan. Weikart's concern was that children are having fewer opportunities to be physically active and develop basic motor skills that will enhance children academically.

Due to Weikart's influence, Mitchell performed a research study, "The relationship between rhythmic competency and academic performance in first grade children" (1994). The findings supported a link between academic achievement and the motor skills of maintaining a steady beat. Also motivated by Phyllis Weikart are Kuhlman & Schweinhart, who report in their discussions that children's timing has been found to be positively related to children's overall school achievement, as well as mathematics and reading achievement (1999).

Youth receiving additional physical activity tend to show improved attributes such as increased brain function and nourishment, higher energy/concentration levels, changes in body build affecting self esteem, increased self-esteem and better behavior which may all support cognitive learning (Cocke, 2002) (Tremblay, Inman, & Willms, 2000) (Dwyer, Coonan, Leitch, Hetzel, & Baghurst, 1983) (Shephard, 1997).

Improved brain attributes associated with regular physical activity consist of increased cerebral blood flow, changes in hormone levels, enhanced nutrient intake, and greater arousal (Shephard, 1997). Cocke (2002) states "a trio of studies presented at the 2001 Society for Neuroscience Conference suggest that regular exercise can improve cognitive function and increase levels of substances in the brain responsible for maintaining the health of neurons." Brain function may also indirectly benefit from physical activity due to increased energy generation as well as from time outside of the classroom/away from studying; The increased energy levels and time outside of the classroom may give relief from boredom resulting in higher attention levels during classroom instruction

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