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RUNNING HEAD: EFFECT OF ACTIVITY ON MATH PERFORMANCE

The Effect of the Nature and Location of Activity on Seven Year Olds Math Performance
Ranym Nenneh, Jake Payne, Maggie Able
University of Kentucky

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Abstract
For our research, we want to find out if children who do complex activities such as
building LEGOs and blocks, play sports or do outside activities often excel more in math than
children who do not do these activities. We took a sample of 96 participants, 48 females and 49
males, all at the age of 7 that live in Lexington, Kentucky. Before they started to play we had the
children take a mathematics test to see how well they do before complex or non-complex play.
After they took their test, the children were split up into four different groups with six children in
each group. We then had the groups either do unorganized outdoor activity, organized outdoor
activity, unorganized indoor activity, and organized indoor activity. After the children play, we
then gather them again to retake the mathematics test. We then compared the two test with each
other to get our results. What we discovered was that children who did complex play scored
higher on their mathematics test than children who did non-complex play. We also discovered
that children who did outdoor organized play excelled more than the children who did indoor
play. For future research, we should look for different types of school subjects other than just
mathematics. Another thing we could do differently is, instead of looking at one state make our
search wider. In conclusion, we were able to conclude that children who do complex play will
excel more in mathematics than those who do non-complex play.
Keywords: complex play, non-complex, mathematics.

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Introduction
There is a big curiosity around the world on whether fundamental activities and outside
activities can help improve a child's academic success. Some people believe that if a child spends
time doing outdoor activities or doing complex activities such as playing with blocks or building
LEGOs, then their achievement in school on mathematics test and other standardized test will be
greater than those who do not do these types of activities.
For example, people believe that construction toys will help children develop better
motor skills and hand-eye coordination, spatial skills, a capacity for creative, divergent thinking,
social skills and language skills. Yvonne Caldera and her fellow colleagues conducted a study
with 51 preschoolers, both males and females, and noticed that the children who showed more
interest in playing with blocks and building different types of structures preformed better on
standardized test of spatial intelligence. It has been stated that, the complexity of a child's
LEGO play at the age of 4 had long-term predictive power: More complex play during the
preschool years was correlated with higher mathematics achievement in high school, even after
controlling a child's IQ (Wolfgang et al 2001 : 2003).
In another experiment dealing with building blocks and complex play, teachers presented
their preschoolers with two different types of materials for them to play with and construct: 1.
some kids got materials for convergent play (puzzle pieces), 2. some kids got materials for
divergent play (Chunky, block-like foam shapes). After the children were done playing they were
then tested on their ability to solve problems. Kids who played with blocks performed better on
divergent problems. They also showed more creativity in their attempts to solve the problems
(Pepler and Ross 1981).
From these two results, it seems clear that building blocks and complex play can help a

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child achieve better in school, but another question that could be asked is whether or not playing
a sport or just doing normal outdoor activities can help increase achievement as well.
A study conducted by the Tarleton State University focused on whether or not students
who were enrolled in physical education would have better achievement when It comes to their
school work. The first hypothesis they tested was, Students enrolled in physical education
would have better academic achievement than those not enrolled in physical activity gained
during class time (Coe, Pivarnik, Womack, Reeves & Malina, 2010). The second hypothesis
stated, Students who achieved Healthy People 2010 guidelines for physical activity would have
the highest academic achievement (Coe, Pivarnik, Womack, Reeces & Malina, 2010). The
results that this study gathered showed that an increase in physical activity during the school day
helped improve their scores on test and also helped improve their attention span and
concentration. They believe that physical activities and playing sports help with academic
achievement, because, it may induce arousal and reduce boredom (Shephard, 16) and another
reason they believe it is helpful is, increased activity levels might be related to increased selfesteem, which would improve classroom behavior as well as performance (Shephard, 16).
Another study that was tested concluded that, academic performance is maintained or even
enhanced by an increase in a student's level of habitual physical activity, despite a reduction in
curricular or free time for the study of academic material (Shephard, 1997).
With these results, you can see that there is a positive outcome between doing physical
activity and peoples academic success. With looking at these two different fundamental studies,
you would believe that it is safe to say that if you give a child LEGOs and blocks to play with at
a young age then they are more than likely to succeed at school up until high school and if you
let children play sports or simply just do physical activities outside for a little while, than they

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confident level may increase causing them to also succeed at school.
These studies helped lead us up to our current experiment that is just alike in the
examples that I have listed above, only slightly different. What our study will consist of is
whether or not children who play outside more or play inside more will achieve better in school.
Our study consists on two independent variables, with two levels for each one: the type of
activity (organized vs. unorganized) and where the activity takes place (Indoor Vs. Outdoor).
This will give us more information on whether or not these studies are always successful due to
the fact that we are conducting two different things. There are much more things to be able to do
outside than there are inside which gives us a chance to see if kids who play outdoors will
succeed more or if kids who play indoors will succeed more.
Our first hypothesis is that kids who do unorganized activity excel more in mathematics
than kids who do organized activities. Our second hypothesis is that kids who do complex play
will excel in mathematics than those who do non-complex play. With the help of our two
independent variables, we will be able to find our dependent variable which is the success rate in
their mathematics class and how well they improved.
Our independent variables will be influencing our dependent variable, because depending
on the type of activity that the kids will be doing will show us later on whether or not doing
certain activities help increase their mathematics skills or do not help them improve at their skills
at all. We are going to be measuring this data by having the kids play either an indoor
unorganized activity, an indoor organized activity, an outdoor unorganized activity, or an indoor
organized activity. Once they are done with their activities, they will then be asked to take a math
test. There will be a pre-test administrated before play to be able to compare the two scores and
see if they improved, stayed the same, or if their scores had decreased.

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While this study does resemble some of the studies I have discussed above, it is also
different in a sense that we are using multiple variables and levels and that we are strictly looking
to see if they only excel in mathematics and no other subject in school. While looking for
information on a topic such as the one we are using for our experiment, I could not find any
findings that suggested a difference in indoor play and outdoor play or a study that was based
just on children's math scores.
Methods
Participants
The participant pool for this study will consist of 96 participants (48 females), age 7. The
sample will be randomly selected from elementary schools in Lexington, Kentucky. Flyers will
be placed in elementary schools and emails will be sent to parents. A chance to win an Amazon
gift card will be used as an incentive to encourage participation. Parental consent will be taken
before the start of the experiment. Participants will be grouped in 16 groups of 6 participants
each. All participants will be treated according to the principles of the Institutional Review
Board.
Materials
Materials used for this experiment will be: a set of a construction game (a lego set), a
playground, a soccer field, and a soccer ball, in addition to a pre-test paper math test, and a posttest similar math test, each consisting of fifteen multiple choice questions.
Design
The experiment will follow a 2 x 2 between subjects factorial design. As previously
stated in the introduction, the experimenters will manipulate two independent variables, with two
levels for each: the type of activity (complex vs. non-complex) and the place where the activity

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takes place (indoors vs. outdoors). Thus, the experiment will consist of four conditions: indoor
non-complex activity, indoor complex activity, outdoor non-complex activity, and outdoor
complex activity. These conditions will be operationally defined as following: the indoor noncomplex activity will consist of an indoor recess; the indoor complex activity will consist of a
construction game (lego); the outdoor non- complex activity will consist of free time on the
playground; and finally, the outdoor complex activity will consist of a soccer game,. Each
activity will last twenty minutes. The dependent variable that will be measured is participants
scores on the math test, on a scale of one to fifteen, with one point for every correct answer. The
time allotted for the completion of the test will be thirty minutes.
Procedure
Before participating in the experiment, parents of participants will meet with a
member of the research team who will briefly explain the different activities the experiment
involves, and obtain informed consent. After enrolling in the study, and before the start of the
experiment, all participants will be given the same math test, consisting of fifteen multiple choice
questions (four choices per question), testing basic knowledge in math (addition, subtraction, and
basic multiplication). Participants will be allowed thirty minutes to complete the test. Then, each
participant will be randomly assigned to one of the four conditions previously stated. Each
condition will consist of four groups of six participants each, three males and three females.
Participants will be randomly assigned to the different groups regardless of their test scores.
Participants in the first condition (non-complex indoor activity) will be asked to spend twenty
minutes in an indoor recess. An adult confederate will be present to prevent any complex games
to take place. Participants in the second condition (complex indoor activity) will be provided
with a construction game (lego) and be asked to form two teams and build the same figure in

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twenty minutes. Participants will be asked to form teams to create a sense of competition, which
contributes to the complex aspect of the activity. Participants in the third condition (non-complex
outdoor activity) will be asked to spend twenty minutes on an outdoor playground. An adult
confederate will be present to prevent any complex games to take place. Finally, participants in
the fourth condition (complex outdoor activity) will be provided with a soccer ball and with
instructions to play soccer. They will be asked to form two teams and play soccer for twenty
minutes. A group of participants will perform the different tasks independently from all other
groups; there will not be more than six participants performing a task at a time. Following a ten
minute break, participants will be asked to take a math test again, with similar multiple choice
questions. Participants will have thirty minutes to take the test. An adult confederate will be
present while participants perform all activities and tasks.

Results
Data retrieved from the study can be found under the Tables section of the paper. The
data is given as numbers in terms of the average math score achieved by each group. When
observing the data, it can be determined that there is a statistical significance between the groups
scores for participating in complex activities, and the groups scores for participating in noncomplex activities. A significant difference was also found between outdoor and indoor of noncomplex activities, but not between complex activities. The average was calculated for each
category, which are listed as the following: Complex average was 12.70, Non-complex average
was 9.35, Outdoor average was 12.05, and Indoor average was 10.00.
Following the hypothesis given before the experiment, the null hypothesis that complex
and non-complex activities represented equal scores was rejected, and the alternative hypothesis

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that complex activities increased math scores was more supported. Due to the significant
difference in only the non-complex groups, the null hypothesis for indoor activities increased
math scores failed to be rejected.
Discussion
This study aims to examine the effect of the types of activities performed by 7 year olds
(or third graders) on their math test scores. It raises the question of the influence of the type of
activity (complex vs. non-complex) and the location where the activity takes place (indoors vs.
outdoors) on math performance. The current data will contribute to the already existing data in
this field. In fact, the data is in accordance with Olds et al. (2004). Not only will it further extend
findings regarding the impact of activities performed by elementary school students, but also
possibly establish an engaged intervention that will benefit their math performance.
A primary limitation to the proposed study is an issue of external validity. In fact, the
sample for this study consisted of a third graders from elementary schools in Lexington,
Kentucky. This convenient sample was not necessarily representative of the entire population.
In addition to that, interpersonal differences such as the general level of activity of the child or
his or her initial math skills can also influence the findings, and act as a confounding variable
(internal validity threat). This confound will be mediated through the use of random assignment.
Another limitation may lie in the duration of the performed activity. In fact, some participants
might have a shorter endurance than others, and might, in result, get tired after performing an
activity that demands physical activity (soccer) for twenty minutes. Future research can rely on
the findings of this study to conduct further investigation about the influence of activities on test
scores in children. In fact, research can be extended to other subjects like the humanities or
creative writing. In addition, the shortening of the period where participants perform activities is

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another option. This can contribute to the elimination of interpersonal differences in terms of
endurance.

References
Coe, D. P., Pivarnik, J. M., Womack, C. J., Reeves, M. J., Malina, R. M. (2006). Effect of

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physical education and activity levels on academic achievement in children. Official
Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 15151519. 10.1249/01.mss.0000227537.13175.1b
Dewar, G. (2008). The benefits of toy blocks. Retrieved April 20th, 2015, from
http://www.parentingscience.com/toy-blocks.html
Olds, T. D., Ridley, J., Boshoff, K., Hartshorne, S. K., & Kennaugh, S. (2004). Children and
sport. Adelaide, South Australia: University of South Australia, Australian Sports
Commission. Published in digital from
https://www.ausport.gov.au/research/youthandsport2004full.asp.
Shephard, R. J., (1997). Curricular physical activity and academic performance. Pediatrics
Exercise Science. 9, 113-126. Retrieved on April 20th, 2015 from
http://www.humankinetics.com/acucustom/sitename/Documents/DocumentItem/12399.p
df
Tafas, H. (2009). Physical activity and student performance at school. Journal of School
Health, Volume 75(6), 214-218. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.17461561.2005.tb06675.x/pdf

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Figures