Physical Activity and Self-Reported Academic Achievement Among Rural Left-Behind Children: The Serial Mediating Roles of Character Strengths and Self-Control

Physical activity may be related to self-reported academic achievement among rural left-behind children, but the psychological processes associated with this relationship remain unclear. This cross-sectional study examined the association between physical activity and self-reported academic achievement and tested the indirect roles of character strengths and self-control. A total of 450 rural left-behind children completed the Physical Activity Rating Scale, the Character Strengths Scale for Chinese Elementary and Middle Schools, the Academic Achievement Self-Assessment Scale, and the Dual-System Scale for Adolescent Self-Control. Pearson correlation and serial mediation analyses were conducted. Physical activity, character strengths, self-control, and self-reported academic achievement were positively correlated. Physical activity was positively associated with self-reported academic achievement, and the indirect effects through character strengths and self-control were significant both separately and sequentially. These findings suggest that character strengths and self-control may help explain the association between physical activity and self-reported academic achievement. Because the data were cross-sectional and self-reported, causal and temporal conclusions cannot be drawn.