Extracurricular physical activity, physical self-concept, goal orientations and academic performance

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationships between the different dimensions of physical self-concept, goal orientations, the practice of extracurricular physical activity and academic performance, and to assess the predictive capacity of these dimensions on academic performance (general and in the subject of Physical Education). An explanatory predictive model of academic performance was proposed. 812 primary and secondary students (53.9 % boys and 46.1 % girls) from the Valencian Community participated in the study by answering to the Physical Activity Questionnaire, to the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire and to the Questionnaire of Physical Self-concept. Descriptive, correlational, multiple linear regression and pathway analyzes were performed. It is concluded that the practice of physical activity out of school does not seem to relate to academic performance, that the various dimensions of physical self-concept correlate with academic performance in the area of Physical Education but not with the general academic performance, that the predictive power of the predictor variables of academic performance is low and that the proposed model fits the data reasonably.