Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
PLoS One. 2022 Mar 18;17(3):e0265718. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265718. eCollection 2022.
Individual differences in tempo and timing of biological maturity, especially in adolescents, has been argued as a potential underlying cause of relative age effects observed in Physical education (PE). Indeed, differences in maturation could influence pupilsachievement in PE where motor behavior and physical activity are central tenets. However, the timing of biological maturity has not previously been investigated in the context of academic achievement in PE. Therefore, the current studys aim was to investigate the association between timing of biological maturity and relative age on adolescentsacademic achievement in PE. The data material consists of two samples from lower secondary schools (13-16 years old). Sample 1 (45 boys and 31 girls) was used to compare differences in anthropometrics and indicators of biological maturity between pupils with different grades (i.e., 3/4, 5, 6), while in sample 2 (114 boys and 127 girls) differences in mean grade were compared between birth quartiles. Pupilsfinal grade in PE were collected for both samples as a proxy for academic achievement. A one-way analysis of variance indicated a moderate-to-large association between timing of biological maturity, through age at peak height velocity, and academic achievement in PE, where later maturing pupils received a higher grade compared to earlier maturing pupils. Results from a factorial analysis of variance indicated an interaction effect between gender and birth quartile on academic achievement in PE. Post hoc analysis revealed that relatively younger boys received significantly lower grades as opposed to their relatively older peers. This effect was not present for girls. Collectively, these results indicate that developmental differences are associated with academic achievement in PE. Hence, PE teachers should be aware of these individual constraints in their teaching and assessment practice to accommodate fair and equal opportunities for achievement in the subject.
个体在生物成熟的节奏和时间上的差异，尤其是在青少年中，被认为是体育教育中观察到的相对年龄效应的潜在潜在原因。事实上，成熟差异可能会影响学生在体育教育中的成绩，而运动行为和身体活动是体育教育的核心原则。然而，生物成熟的时间在体育教育学术成就方面尚未得到研究。因此，本研究的目的是调查生物成熟时间与相对年龄对青少年体育教育学术成就的关联。数据材料由两所中学（13-16 岁）的两个样本组成。样本 1（45 名男孩和 31 名女孩）用于比较不同年级（即 3/4、5、6）学生之间的人体测量学和生物成熟度指标的差异，而在样本 2（114 名男孩和 127 名女孩）中，比较了出生四分位数之间的平均年级差异。两个样本都收集了学生的体育最终成绩作为学术成就的代表。单因素方差分析表明，通过峰值身高速度的年龄，生物成熟时间与体育教育学术成就之间存在中度至高度关联，即较晚成熟的学生比较早成熟的学生获得更高的成绩。方差分析的因子分析结果表明，性别和出生四分位数对体育教育学术成就存在交互作用。事后分析表明，相对年轻的男孩成绩明显低于相对年长的男孩，而女孩则没有这种情况。这些结果表明，发育差异与体育教育学术成就有关。因此，体育教师在教学和评估实践中应该意识到这些个体限制，以提供公平和平等的机会，使学生在该学科中取得成就。
