Acute Exercise and Academic Achievement in Middle School Students

(1) The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and non-exercise on measures of academic achievement and cognition in pre-adolescent students. (2) In a randomized crossover design, sixty-three participants with a mean age of 13.7 ± 0.47 years completed 20 min of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, or non-exercise with a period of seven days between each bout. Immediately after each bout, participants were tested for academic achievement and cognitive performance. Academic achievement was assessed using standardized, age-appropriate mathematics tests. Cognition was measured using the Dot, Word, and Color tasks of the Stroop Test (Victoria version). (3) Participants scored significantly higher on the mathematics tests (F(1,62) = 4.50, p = 0.038) and all elements of the Stroop Test (Dot: F(1,62) = 8.14, p = 0.006; Word: F(1,62) = 9.90, p = 0.003; Color: F(1,62) = 7.57, p = 0.008) following acute resistance exercise as compared to non-exercise. Math test performance was not statistically different between the aerobic and resistance exercise treatments (F(1,62) = 0.214, p = 0.645), but participants did perform significantly better on all elements of the Stroop Test following resistance exercise as compared to aerobic exercise (Dot: F(1,61) = 25.82, p < 0.001; Word: F(1,62) = 14.73, p < 0.001; Color: F(1,62) = 20.14, p < 0.001). (4) Resistance exercise acutely influenced academic achievement and cognition in a positive manner. Such results add to the growing body of research that may support an increase in the prescription of varied exercise modalities within school settings for the purposes of improving academic performance and student health.