School-based physical activity shows no significant effect on reading comprehension achievement¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Meta-analysis of six studies found no significant correlation between physical activity and reading comprehension achievement (SMD = 0.07, 95% CI: −0.03 to 0.18, p = 0.170). → He Hongxue 2025

Evidence¶

He Hongxue 2025¶

He Hongxue, Yang Yahui, Sun Jiaojiao, Wang Fang, Zhang Wei and Zhu Fengshu. (2025). Effects of school-based physical activity on academic achievement in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1651883

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

Meta-analysis pooling six RCTs on reading comprehension. The review reports "no significant correlation" with SMD = 0.07 (95% CI: −0.03 to 0.18, p = 0.170) and high heterogeneity (I² = 74%).

"Figure 5 shows the combined effect size of six studies (27–30, 37, 40), indicating no significant correlation between physical activity and reading comprehension achievement (SMD = 0.07, 95% CI: −0.03 to 0.18, p = 0.170, I2 = 74%)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Physical Well-Being — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• School-based physical activity significantly improves overall academic achievement (SMD = 0.22) — related
• School-based physical activity shows no significant effect on language expression achievement — related
• Short-duration (<24 weeks) interventions positively impact reading comprehension (SMD = 0.24) — reports the opposite