Exploring Associations Between Motor Competence, Executive Function, and Academic Attainment in Children in England

Gilmour, AM, MacDonald, MJ, Clifford, L ORCID: 0009-0005-5861-2127, Fairclough, SJ, Banks, J, Edwards, P and Tyler, R (2025) Exploring Associations Between Motor Competence, Executive Function, and Academic Attainment in Children in England. Journal of Motor Learning and Development, 14 (1). ISSN 2325-3193

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Abstract

Motor competence supports physical, emotional, and mental health but its cognitive impact is understated. Motor–cognitive links remain underexplored, and motor competence’s role in academic attainment, including executive functions’ mediating influence, is limited. This research aimed to (a) investigate associations between motor competence and executive functions in 8–9-year-old children in England and (b) examine whether greater motor competence has a positive impact on executive function and academic attainment. Two hundred and forty-seven children (51.4% girls, age: 8.7 ± .4 years, 77.7% white British, 5 ± 3.1 deprivation decile, 73.3% healthy weight) across Pennine Lancashire completed a motor competence circuit and executive function tests. Attainment across reading, writing, and mathematics assessed academic attainment. Direct effects were found between motor competence and executive function (β = −2.55, 95% CI [−4.87, −0.24]), motor competence and academic attainment (β = 0.57, 95% CI [0.16, 0.98]), and executive function and academic attainment (β = -0.13, 95% CI [−0.24, −0.02]). Executive function mediated the indirect motor competence-academic attainment association (β = 0.20, p = .01). Multigroup analyses found a significant deprivation group effect (p = .03). The motor–cognitive phenomenon is complex, requiring future research. The findings show that motor and cognitive skills intertwine to support academic achievement. Therefore, educational approaches that integrate these skills may improve attainment.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	movement skills; cognition; educational performance; deprivation; 52 Psychology; 5201 Applied and Developmental Psychology; Pediatric Research Initiative; Behavioral and Social Science; Mental Health; Basic Behavioral and Social Science; 1.1 Normal biological development and functioning; Mental health; 3 Good Health and Well Being; 3209 Neurosciences; 4207 Sports science and exercise; 5202 Biological psychology
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education Q Science > QP Physiology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Human Kinetics
Date of acceptance:	23 September 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	9 May 2026
Date Deposited:	08 May 2026 13:06
Last Modified:	09 May 2026 00:50
DOI or ID number:	10.1123/jmld.2025-0036
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28526

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