Healthy habits, sports and values education lead to a 95% improvement in school performance in at-risk children, according to an ESADE study
The latest report of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that Spanish education continues to lag behind the other countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), especially in mathematics and reading. However, a new study has found that practising sports and good habits can help to improve children’s academic performance.
The updated study by ESADE’s Observatory for Behaviour Studies is based on an analysis of the behaviour of more than 7,000 schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 who attended Danone Sports Schools. The children, who came from ethnic minorities or immigrant families, were at risk of social exclusion and vulnerable to the economic crisis.
According to the study, the percentage of children whose school marks improve after they start participating in team sports such as football or basketball increases gradually over the course of the academic year (from 17.7% to 34.6%, an increase of 95%). Participation in the programme was also found to foster healthy habits and improve behaviour.
Better marks in school
According to the results of a psychosocial test, 34.6% of the students who attend Danone Sports Schools see an improvement in their marks by the end of the academic year, and 11.3% and 21.8% of reported seeing improvement even earlier, after the first and second quarters, respectively. In both language and mathematics – pillars of PISA – the number of students with a passing mark increased by more than 20 percentage points. After their third quarter of participation in the programme, 66.7% and 60% of the students had a passing mark in language and mathematics, respectively.
The students’ attitude towards their education also improved. After just one quarter of attendance at the Danone Sports Schools, just 16.1% of the students said that they enjoyed doing homework, whereas 37.6% said they did not enjoy it. At the end of the year, 28.3% of the students said they liked homework compared with 24% who did not. The amount of time spent studying also increased. By the end of the academic year, the percentage of students who reported spending more than two hours on homework each day had risen from 9.6% to 20.1%.
Changes in habits
Positive changes were also seen in television consumption and bedtime, indicators that directly affect school performance. When they started attending Danone Sports Schools, more than half of the students said they watched more than two hours of television each day; by the end of the school year, just over 1 in 3 students reported consuming this much television.
Sleep habits also improved. At the beginning of the study period, 40% of students said that they go to bed after midnight on school nights; at the end of the school year, barely 1 in 3 students said they stayed up that late. Increases were seen in the number of students who go to bed between 10.00 pm and midnight and, especially, in those who go to bed between 8.00 and 10.00 pm.
Healthier hygiene and nutrition
Participation in Danone Sports Schools also improves students’ nutrition education, which is essential for practising sports. Over the course of the academic year, the percentage of students who said that they ate fruits and vegetables increased from 15.4% to a less-abysmal 26.4%. Similarly, the percentage of students who eat dairy products increased from 34% to 44.1%.
Students’ hygiene also improved as a result of education and sports. By the end of the year, the number of students who brush their teeth carefully, shower regularly and perform other hygiene routines had increased considerably. This improvement in hygiene went hand-in-hand with healthier perceptions of harmful substances. The percentage of students who view tobacco as harmful rose from 14.1% to 31.6%, and similar figures were found for alcohol (from 11.6% to 28%).
Values and positive attitudes
Playing team sports like football and basketball – the Danone Sports Schools’ latest addition – generates camaraderie, cooperation, respect for opponents and other positive values. Sports offer children who are at risk of social exclusion – and, therefore, vulnerable to the current economic crisis – a way to be included.
Participation in sports translates into a significant increase in respect and obedience towards parents and teachers, as well as improved behaviour at home and in school. Sports and related forms of education therefore foster social integration and better conduct. They also improve racial inclusiveness: at the beginning of the school year, just 24.2% of the students in the Danone Sports Schools said they could be friends with a child from another country, compared with 33.7% at the end of the school year.
