The Positive Effect of

Strength Training on
Standardized Test Scores
Sam Santiago & Victoria Stock
Background

Charles Basch, health and behavior professor at Columbia says that

children who exercise..
Increase oxygen flow to the brain
Increase neurotransmitters
Increase neurotrophins, which help neurons that are responsible for learning, memory, and
higher thinking.

(3) SPARK. (2012, April 19). How Physical Activity Affects Academic Performance. Retrieved from http://www.sparkpe.org/blog/how-physical-activity-affects-
academic-performance/
Background

A study at Brock University did a 6-month study on obese children

Study at University of Copenhagen
Strength training to increase motor skills and overall cognitive function.
Background

Exercise and Academic Achievement in Children: Effects of Acute Class-Based

Circuit Training
Results: Acute circuit training did improve reading test scores, but not math.
Motor Skills and Exercise Capacity are Associated with Objective Measures of
Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Preadolescent Children
Results: Aerobic exercise did improve cognitive functions, such as attention span and
memory, but they also did find a correlation between fine motor skills and academic
performance
The Effects of Acute Physical Exercise Training on Mathematical Computation
Cognitive function was improved with physical activity. They also found that the better
fine motor skills the individual had, the better off they did in tests as well.
Sources: 5, 6, 7
Importance/Background

WTAE wrote an article discussing the 2015 PSSA scores.

31 point decrease in math
9 point decrease in english
Pennsylvania ranks 20th in overall prevalence with 29.7% of children
considered either overweight or obese. The Pennsylvania prevalence of
overweight and obese children has risen since 2003.

(1) Data Source: 2007 National Survey of Childrens Health. Data analysis provided by the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Data Resource
Center. http://www.childhealthdata.org/
Purpose

The purpose of this experiment is to examine whether or not there is an

effect on cognitive function from strength training. We wanted to examine
whether or not there was a way to improve the test scores of fifth graders
with exercise. We found an experiment that showed improved cognitive
function in children with cardio exercise, so we wanted to base our
experiment off of strength training to see if we received similar or better
results.
Hypothesis

Null hypothesis: There will be no difference in standardized test scores

between those who did and did not participate in the program.

Research hypothesis: Fifth graders who strength train twice week have
higher standardized test scores than those who do not strength train.
Methods

First we will send out fliers over the summer, before school starts offering
a before school strength training program that lasts one semester.
This program will be free of charge and is only available to the first 50 kids who sign up
It is only offered to students in fifth grade
Obtain waivers to collect PSSA scores
We will randomize the students into two evenly split groups
25 in the control and 25 in the strength program
The groups will both have an advisor watching them an hour before school
starts.
Our independent variable is the strength training program, while the
dependent variable is the test scores
Methods

Each group will be given the previous years PSSA practice test, scores will
be recorded and later compared to the current years actual PSSA test.
The final PSSA scores will be compared between the 2 groups to see if the
strength training group had higher scores than the control group
Body fat %s will be recorded using BIA test pre and post to see if lean
muscle mass increases.
Methods

The control group will be able to do what they want

For example: watch a movie, play with legos, or socialize with friends
The experiment group will run through a strength training program
designed with body weight exercises
They will be provided with exercises involving body weight strength training moves
Elastic bands
Small weights--10RM and reps 10-15 for 2-3 sets
Relay races specific to using body weight
Example of a strength training program

10min warm-up (tag, dance, jump rope)

30-35min program
Push-ups Overhead press
Lunges Bicep Curls
Bear crawls/crab walk/lizard crawl Sit-ups
Wall squats Jumping jacks
1-leg balance Resistance band workouts
Burpees
Tricep Dip
Statistics

We will run an independent two tailed t test to measure the improvements

of test scores and exercise.
There will be a positive linear correlation with exercise and higher test
scores.
We studied fifty students total, with twenty-five in each group.
Conclusions

Based off of our results, there is a positive linear correlation with exercise
and test scores in fifth grade students. Twenty-one of the twenty-five
students in the exercise passed based off of the standardized test
requirements for Pennsylvania, which means they must score above or
equal to proficient.
Conclusion and Applications

To increase physical fitness programs within schools

To increase strength training programs within physical fitness programs
amongst children
To enforce the correlation between the importance of strength training and
cognitive function
Limitations
Internal validity
More girls than boys and vise versa due to randomization
Are the kids participating in other activities
Are they giving their best effort (overall attitude)
Previous injuries or unknown mental disability
External validity
Using PSSA, so other states would need to use their own standardized test
Tested 5th graders in rural PA (economic and social status)
Confounding Factors
Only used 5th graders
Unincluded people with physical and mental disabilities
Kids from both groups will be in classes together learning the same material by the same
teachers.
Sources
(1) Data Source: 2007 National Survey of Childrens Health. Data analysis provided by the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Data
Resource Center. http://www.childhealthdata.org/
(2) Falk, B. (2015). Resistance Training in Children. Pediatric Exercise Science, 27(1), 13-17
(3) Geertsen, S. S., Thomas, R., Larsen, M. N., Dahn, I. M., Andersen, J. N., Krause-Jensen, M., & ... Lundbye-Jensen, J. (2016). Motor Skills and
Exercise Capacity Are Associated with Objective Measures of Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Preadolescent Children. Plos ONE,
11(8), 1-16. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161960
(4) SPARK. (2012, April 19). How Physical Activity Affects Academic Performance. Retrieved from http://www.sparkpe.org/blog/how-physical-activity-
affects-academic-performance/
(5) Dickinson, Ben D., Duncan, Michael J., & Eyre, Emma L.J. "Exercise And Academic Achievement In Children: Effects Of Acute Class-Based
Circuit Training." Human Movement 17.1 (2016): 4-7. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.
(6) Geertsen, Svend Sparre, et al. "Motor Skills And Exercise Capacity Are Associated With Objective Measures Of Cognitive Functions And
Academic Performance In Preadolescent Children." Plos ONE 11.8 (2016): 1-16. Academic Search Elite. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.
(7) Bala, Gustav. "The Effects Of Acute Physical Exercise Training On Mathematical Computation In Children. / Uinki Enkratne Telesne Vadbe Na
Matematino Raunanje Pri Otrocih." Annales Kinesiologiae 5.1 (2014): 15-22. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.