Relationships Between Motor Coordination And Academic Achievement In Middle School Children

International Journal of Exercise Science 9(5): 616-624, 2016. Although it is recognized that children with a marked impairment in the development of motor coordination may show difficulty in gaining academic achievement, research examining the relationship between gross motor coordination and academic achievement in children without intellectual disabilities is limited. This study aimed to examine whether gross motor coordination is associated with academic achievement among children. Middle school children (n=122) were recruited. Writing, reading, and mathematics performance were used to attribute academic achievement. Gross motor coordination was assessed using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder test. Pearson and partial correlations were used to analyze associations between gross motor coordination and academic achievement, controlling for physical activity. Bivariate correlations revealed no significant associations between gross motor coordination and academic achievement scores in both boys and girls. On the other hand, gross motor coordination scores were significantly correlated with writing performance when controlled for physical activity levels, in boys. Our findings question whether motor coordination scores are really associated with academic achievement scores among middle school children