Physical education interventions improve motor ability and executive function in junior high studentsSports class boosts brain and body for junior high students

Frontiers in Medicine Published April 24, 2026 DOI ↗ Editorial oversight: Dr. Sofia Müller, MD · Lifespan & Whole-Person Care

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Key Takeaway

Consider that different physical education foci may improve specific motor and cognitive outcomes in junior high students.

This randomized controlled trial enrolled 62 junior high school students, divided into three groups: Fitness Group (FG, n=21), Sports skill Group (SG, n=20), and Interdisciplinary Group (IG, n=21). The intervention was a 12-week, twice-weekly physical education program, with each group receiving a different focus. The comparator was a between-group comparison of FG, SG, and IG.

Motor ability improved significantly across all groups. Physical fitness and motor cognition showed greater improvements in the specialized sports intervention (SG) compared to other groups. Motor skill showed no significant difference between groups. Executive function, including inhibitory control, improved significantly; cognitive flexibility also improved significantly, with greater gains in the interdisciplinary group (IG).

Safety and tolerability were not reported. The key limitation is that effect sizes, absolute numbers, and exact p-values are not reported in the abstract. The study was a cluster RCT with a pre-post design.

Practice relevance is not reported. The findings suggest that different physical education foci can improve specific outcomes in junior high students, but the evidence is limited by incomplete reporting.

What if a school class could sharpen a child's mind and body at the same time? That's the question behind a 12-week trial with 62 junior high students. They were split into three groups for twice-weekly PE: one focused on general fitness, one on sports skills, and one mixing sports with lessons from other subjects.

All three groups saw their overall motor ability improve. The sports skills group showed greater gains in physical fitness and motor cognition. The interdisciplinary group—where sports were paired with other subjects—had the biggest boost in a type of executive function called cognitive flexibility, which helps kids shift gears mentally. Inhibitory control also improved across the board.

The study didn't find a clear winner for motor skill improvement; all groups were similar there. We don't have exact numbers or p-values from the abstract, and the researchers didn't report any safety issues. Because this was a small trial in one age group, we can't say these results would apply to everyone or every school.

What this means for you:

A 12-week sports class helped junior high students move and think better, with some class types offering extra benefits.

Study Details

Study typeRct

EvidenceLevel 2

PublishedApr 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

BackgroundPrevious research has demonstrated that physical exercise enhances motor ability (MA) and that participation in physical activity effectively improves executive function (EF). Physical education (PE), as a core element of students’ daily activities, plays a crucial role in facilitating these benefits. PE also improves the quality of education. Currently, PE are mainly divided into three types. Understanding differences and associations between MA and EF following various PE may improve educational quality, promote physical and mental health. This study aims to: (1) compare the effects of three PE interventions on MA and EF in junior high school students; (2) examine the relationships between MA and EF.MethodsA cluster randomized controlled trial with a pre-post design was employed. Participants were assigned to Fitness Group (FG; n = 21), Sports skill Group (SG; n = 20), and Interdisciplinary Group (IG; n = 21; sports activities with interdisciplinary knowledge), which calculated value using G*Power. Over 12-week, each group completed twice-weekly interventions. Using BMI, waist-circumference, 20-m-shuttle-run, 30-s-sit-ups, grip-strength, standing-long-jump, 50-m-sprint, sit-and-reach, and 20-s-repeated-crossovers assessed physical fitness (PF). Using questionnaires assessed motor cognition (MC), skill and competition assessed motor skill (MS). MA was evaluated by calculating Z-scores for each component based on age-specific data. EF assessed using the Stroop, 2-back, and More-odd shifting. Paired t-tests/Wilcoxon tests, ANOVA/Welch’s ANOVA with post hoc comparisons, and Spearman correlations were used for analysis.ResultsMA improved significantly across all groups. ANOVA showed that the specialized sports intervention produced greater improvements in MA, PF, and MC than other groups, with no significant difference in MS. In EF, inhibitory control (IC) and cognitive flexibility (CF) improved significantly, with greater CF gains in the interdisciplinary group (p 

Physical education interventions improve motor ability and executive function in junior high studentsSports class boosts brain and body for junior high students

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Physical education interventions improve motor ability and executive function in junior high studentsSports class boosts brain and body for junior high students

Study Details

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