An Empirical Study of the Impact of Exercise on Academic Performance in Middle School Students

Based on the CEPS(2014—2015) data, this study analyzed the impact of weekly exercise time on academic performance by using descriptive statistics and OLS, and the correlation analysis and two-way ANOVA were used to further explore suitable exercise programs for middle school students. It was found that the increase of physical exercise time per week(≤18 h) can significantly improve the academic performance, but it's better to increase the exercise frequency in each week rather than excessively increase the time of each exercise bout. In order to increase the academic performance, the optimal exercise frequency is6 times per week, and 0.5~1 h per time. Considering the health perspective, it is recommended to take 1 h exercise per time, which is more effective in increasing academic performance and health.