Rendimiento Académico en Educación Física: Aspectos Académicos versus Físico-Deportivos. (Academic Achievement in Physical Education: Academic versus Physical Activity aspects)

La Educacion Fisica escolar, donde prevalecen las actividades ludicas y fisico-deportivas, ha llegado a ser clasificada como una asignatura no academica. De ahi podria inferirse que es posible conseguir un elevado rendimiento academico con solo practicar deportes independientemente del interes o esfuerzo que los estudiantes dediquen a la asignatura. En este estudio se examinaron las relaciones entre el rendimiento academico en educacion fisica, la persistencia-esfuerzo, la practica deportiva extraescolar, el autoconcepto academico y el autoconcepto fisico en 224 escolares con edades que oscilaban entre los 10 y los 13 anos (M = 10.98, DE = 0.71). El analisis de regresion revelo que el rendimiento academico estaba principalmente explicado por el autoconcepto academico, seguido por el deporte extraescolar y el autoconcepto fisico, F(3, 216) = 12.341, p < .000, R2 = .15. Asimismo, debe destacarse que se observo una correlacion positiva moderada entre el autoconcepto academico y la persistencia-esfuerzo (r = 0.49, p < .01). Los varones manifestaron mayores niveles de practica deportiva y de autoconcepto academico que las mujeres, V = .064, F(4, 213) = 3.643, p = .007, η2p = .064; y los escolares con mayor rendimiento academico mostraron mayores puntuaciones en todas las variables excepto en la practica deportiva, V = .093, F(4, 213) = 5.492, p < .001, η2p = .093. Estos resultados sugieren que, como ocurre en las areas consideradas academicas, el rendimiento academico en educacion fisica se explica principalmente por variables academicas en lugar de por variables fisico-deportivas.=  Physical Education, that is a subject where physical activity and sports dominate, has become to be considered as non-academic subject. It might easily be inferred from this that high academic grades can be achieved just by practicing sports while other factors, such as the student’s interest and effort, would be irrelevant. Therefore, the present study examined the relationship between the academic achievement in physical education, persistence-effort, extracurricular sports and the academic and physical self-concept of students enrolled in the last courses of primary education. A sample of 224 students (aged 10-13; M = 10.98, SD = 0.71) participated in the study. Multiple regression analysis showed hat academic achievement in physical education was better explained by academic self-concept, followed by extracurricular sport and physical self-concept, F(3, 216) = 12.341, p < .000, R2 = .15. Differences were found in these results according to gender, V = .064, F(4, 213) = 3.643, p = .007, η2p = .064, and academic achievement, V = .093, F(4, 213) = 5.492, p < .001, η2p = .093. Male students manifested higher levels of extracurricular sport and physical self-concept. On the other hand, students with high academic achievement showed higher levels in all variables except extracurricular sport. These findings suggest that, likewise happens in other subjects, the academic variables plays an important role in predicting academic achievement in physical education.