The University of Sydney, Australia, has found a link between children's participation and persistence in sport during their school years and an increase in academic achievement. This conclusion was reached after an initial longitudinal study that tracked Australian children's participation in sport and their academic outcomes.They also found an impact on National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) scores, absenteeism and the likelihood of attending university.

In the first long-term study of its kind, published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, researchers tracked the sport participation of more than 4000 Australian children between the ages of 4 and 13, and then compared this with their academic progress up to the age of 21.Overall, they found a link between continued participation in sport during school years and lower absenteeism, as well as better attention and memory, higher NAPLAN scores and ultimately higher chances of attending university.

Lead author Dr Katherine Owen said many factors influence the decline in sports participation during adolescence, but this study shows the importance of finding ways to keep young people active and engaged. "We already know the link between educational attainment and better health. This study suggests that making sport more of a priority in schools could be one way of influencing this," said Dr Owen, from the University's Charles Perkins Centre and School of Public Health. "To achieve this, we also need to see how sport can adapt and become more flexible and inclusive to allow more children to play in the way they want to, whether for fun or for social reasons," concluded the biostatistician with a PhD in physical activity.

Differences between team and individual sports. Just as the authors conclude that there is a beneficial relationship between sport and academic performance, probably due to sustained physical activity, the study also highlights differences between individual and team sports. Children involved in team sports performed better on tests of attention and working memory, had fewer unauthorised absences and were more likely to achieve a Higher School Certificate (HSC) or equivalent. "This is consistent with other research showing that team sports develop important social and mental skills in children and young people," Dr Owen said. "It provides opportunities to work together, which often fosters a sense of belonging. It's not surprising that these children have lower levels of absenteeism, which is also linked to school completion."

As for individual sports, "we suspect this may be because individual sports tend to promote responsibility, autonomy, goal setting and a higher level of preparation. Psychologically, many of these skills carry over to exam preparation," said Dr., who works in the Prevention Research Collaboration and SPRINTER (Sport and Active Recreation Intervention & Epidemiology Research) group.

In terms of sport and socio-economically disadvantaged children, the study also showed the benefits in terms of academic performance, although with difficulties in sustaining sport.

Previous research, the method of the study and its limitations

The results of the new study are consistent with a previous systematic review led by Dr Owen in 2022. The review analysed 115 international studies, mainly from the United States, and found a positive association between sports participation and academic performance in around one million students. The new study used data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) and was conducted with significant samples of children from across Australia.

The method used to collect the data was to survey parents and guardians to determine whether children participated in sport regularly every 12 months, and whether they did so individually or in groups. In terms of academic diagnoses, a range of cognitive tests and normal school results (e.g. NAPLAN, HSC, ATAR) were used to record academic performance. "There is still a lot we don't know. This includes the role of different types of sport and the influence of frequency and intensity of participation on academic outcomes," Dr Owen said. "Ongoing studies will be important to develop this and help us understand how we can adapt educational environments to encourage and support sports participation in ways that can improve young people's levels of physical activity, health and educational attainment," she concluded.

To view the published scientific article, download it here:

jpah-article-10.1123-jpah.2023-0506.pdf