Throughout my life I heard the famous phrase "healthy body, healthy mind." At
least in Germany this phrase is quite common. But is there really a relationship, or do
people just say it? In this context some might argue that being physical active does not
contribute to the overall health at all. It is more what we eat that matters. They are right to
some extent. However, according to Chryss Cada, staying in shape is always a balance
between exercise and nutrition (Cada, 2003). Both physical activity and a good diet
contribute to a healthy body and, according to the famous phrase, to a healthy mind. To
find out if a healthy body really helps a student perform better academically I examined
what impact physical activity has on the academic success of students. I believe that there
is a positive relationship between physical activity and academic success. The literature is full of opinions that support my assumption. For example,
Douglas H. Heath, a professor emeritus of the Psychology Department of Haverford
College, states that success in general is caused by many factors such as how many
hobbies, interests, and jobs a student has, or who is active in extracurricular activities
(Becker, 1992). A more relevant statement to this topic comes from Jim MacKinnon, the
athletic director at Starpoint, who points out that "Kids who go through the athletic
program learn discipline, and that carries over into their studies. It carries over not only
into academics; it carries over into your life." (Dicesare, 2002) Sheila Boles, Hoggards
High School athletics director, even says: "I don't think there's anything that can teach
you more about life than athletics success and failure and how to handle them both
graciously." (Grady, 2002) Many other authors share this opinion. They contribute that
athletes have higher GPAs (Hickman, 2002), or are more likely to find themselves in
supervisory roles in the later working environment than their non-athletic peers
(Schouten, 2002). Sport programs even help students develop self-confidence, time
management skills and interpersonal communication (Molbeck, 2003). Furthermore,
physical activity may strengthen competitive drive in non-athletic areas, boost self
confidence, and reinforce the discipline necessary for academic success (Robst, 2000). [...]
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Real scenario
- Ideal scenario
- Results
- Discussion and Recommendation
- References and Appendix
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The research aims to investigate the relationship between the amount of time spent engaging in physical activity and academic success. It examines whether there is a positive correlation between these two variables, focusing on the academic performance of full-time MBA students.
- Impact of physical activity on academic success
- Relationship between physical activity and GPA
- Discipline and time management skills developed through athletics
- Potential influence of physical activity on self-confidence and competitive drive
- Comparison of academic performance between active and non-active students
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the research question and provides background information on the common phrase "healthy body, healthy mind." It explores the relationship between physical activity, nutrition, and overall health. The author presents a hypothesis suggesting a positive relationship between physical activity and academic success, supported by various literature sources.
- Real scenario: This chapter delves into a real-world scenario, examining the academic performance of college athletes compared to their non-athletic peers. It presents research findings that indicate mixed results, with some studies suggesting higher GPA's and better performance among athletes, while others highlight lower academic achievement in certain sports like football and basketball.
- Ideal scenario: This chapter focuses on an ideal scenario, setting the stage for the research methodology and data collection. It defines the independent and dependent variables, identifying the amount of time spent in physical activity as the independent variable and academic success, measured by GPA, as the dependent variable.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics of this research include physical activity, academic success, GPA, full-time MBA students, discipline, time management, self-confidence, competitive drive, and the relationship between these factors.
- Quote paper
- Alexander Keller (Author), 2003, Is the amount of time spent for physical activity linked to academic success?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/19245
