Effect of perceptual-motor exercise on academic performance in one and sixth grade elementary school children

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of perceptual-motor activities on the academic performance of female students in the first grade and the sixth grade.The students of each grade (50students in the first grade and50 students in the sixth grade) took part in the Lincoln-Oseretsky Motor Development test for assessing perceptual-motor function and Raven intelligence test for assessing cognitive function. Teacher assessments of math and Persian as an indication of their academic progress were also considered.
Based on the results , the students of each grade were divided into two groups of experimental and control (n = 25). The experimental group participated in an eight-week training course including a variety of exercises and perceptual-motor activities. The training course consisted of 45 to 60 minutes sessions three times a week. After this period, students in both groups were reevaluated by assessing their academic performance. The results obtained from t-test analyses showed that, unlike the six graders, perceptual-motor activities had a positive impact on academic performance of first grade students.