How physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school: a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic support
IntroductionAcademic engagement is a critical aspect of adolescent development. Understanding the mechanism of academic engagement will help to take effective measures to improve the academic engagement of middle school students. This study used a serial mediation model to delve into the complex ass...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1632130/full |
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| author | Junmin Zhang Yongfeng Liu Xiaogang Zhang Shuiyou Hu |
| author_facet | Junmin Zhang Yongfeng Liu Xiaogang Zhang Shuiyou Hu |
| author_sort | Junmin Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionAcademic engagement is a critical aspect of adolescent development. Understanding the mechanism of academic engagement will help to take effective measures to improve the academic engagement of middle school students. This study used a serial mediation model to delve into the complex association among physical activity, interpersonal relationships, academic support, and academic engagement in middle school students.MethodsA sample of 746 participants in middle school (51.1% female) completed validated measurement tools for each variable.ResultsResults showed that grade was negatively correlated with physical activity and academic engagement, yet positively associated with interpersonal relationships, and significant positive correlations among the four variables. In contrast, gender and only-child status had weak correlations with other measured variables. Findings from regression analyses further underscored that physical activity positively directly predicted academic engagement. Notably, mediation analyses showed that both interpersonal relationships and academic support mediated the separate relationship between physical activity and academic engagement, and they also supported the hypothesized serial mediation effect. The final serial mediation model effectively explained a substantial 31.8% portion of the variance in academic engagement.DiscussionThese findings comprehensively illustrate the complex interactions between physical activity and academic engagement, deepening our understanding of the determinants of the relationship between the two variables among middle school students. The study provides valuable empirical evidence for designing targeted interventions aimed at enhancing adolescents’ academic engagement through improved physical activity, interpersonal relationships, and academic support. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-363b33c10e2f4647b85ce2983ddbb5c2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-363b33c10e2f4647b85ce2983ddbb5c22025-08-20T03:03:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-08-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.16321301632130How physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school: a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic supportJunmin Zhang0Yongfeng Liu1Xiaogang Zhang2Shuiyou Hu3School of Sports Training, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Sports Training, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Football Sports, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, ChinaSchool of Physical Education, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, ChinaIntroductionAcademic engagement is a critical aspect of adolescent development. Understanding the mechanism of academic engagement will help to take effective measures to improve the academic engagement of middle school students. This study used a serial mediation model to delve into the complex association among physical activity, interpersonal relationships, academic support, and academic engagement in middle school students.MethodsA sample of 746 participants in middle school (51.1% female) completed validated measurement tools for each variable.ResultsResults showed that grade was negatively correlated with physical activity and academic engagement, yet positively associated with interpersonal relationships, and significant positive correlations among the four variables. In contrast, gender and only-child status had weak correlations with other measured variables. Findings from regression analyses further underscored that physical activity positively directly predicted academic engagement. Notably, mediation analyses showed that both interpersonal relationships and academic support mediated the separate relationship between physical activity and academic engagement, and they also supported the hypothesized serial mediation effect. The final serial mediation model effectively explained a substantial 31.8% portion of the variance in academic engagement.DiscussionThese findings comprehensively illustrate the complex interactions between physical activity and academic engagement, deepening our understanding of the determinants of the relationship between the two variables among middle school students. The study provides valuable empirical evidence for designing targeted interventions aimed at enhancing adolescents’ academic engagement through improved physical activity, interpersonal relationships, and academic support.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1632130/fullacademic engagementphysical activityinterpersonal relationshipsacademic supportserial mediating model |
| spellingShingle | Junmin Zhang Yongfeng Liu Xiaogang Zhang Shuiyou Hu How physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school: a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic support Frontiers in Psychology academic engagement physical activity interpersonal relationships academic support serial mediating model |
| title | How physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school: a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic support |
| title_full | How physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school: a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic support |
| title_fullStr | How physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school: a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic support |
| title_full_unstemmed | How physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school: a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic support |
| title_short | How physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school: a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic support |
| title_sort | how physical activity enhances academic engagement in middle school a serial mediation model of interpersonal relationships and academic support |
| topic | academic engagement physical activity interpersonal relationships academic support serial mediating model |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1632130/full |
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