Impact of Sports & Physical Activities on Academic
Performance
Submitted To:
Ma’am Munazza Ambreen
Submitted By:
Lybah Tariq
(FA18-EEE-038)
Xaviera Amer
(FA18-EEE-045)
Lareb Fatima
(FA18-EEE-057)
Aimen Ejaz
(FA18-EEE-098)
Leena Imad
(FA18-EEE-080)
Comsats University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus
Date:
December 3rd, 2021
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary …………………………………………….……...........................................4
Introduction ……...………………………………………....…….................................................. 5
Statement of problem……………………………………………………………………………...6
Significance of the study………………………………………………..........................................7
Scope of study………………………………………………………….......................................... 8
Limitations of study………………………………………………………………………………. 8
Review of related literature…………………………………………….......................................... 9
Methods of study………………………………………………………........................................11
Results & Discussions..……….………………………………………………………………....13
Results…………………………………………………………………………………………....13
Discussion ……………………………………………………………………………………….17
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….19
Recommendation………………………………………………………………………………...20
References………………………………………………………………………………………..21
APPENDICS……………………………………………………………………………………..21
2
Tables
Table 1…………………………………………………………………………………………...13
Figures
Fig1...………….………………………………………………………………………………....14
Fig2……………………………………………………………………………………………....15
Fig3………………………………………………………………………………………………16
Fig4……………………………………………………………………………………………....17
Fig5……………………………………………………………………………………………....17
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Impact Of Sports & Physical Activities On Academic
Performance
Executive Summary:
The goal of this study conducted was to study and find out how does Sports and Physical
Activities effect a child’s ability to perform in his academics. Weather if it impacts in a positive
way or otherwise. We chose to conduct a survey in which we asked questions from different
students in the sports complex of Comsats University Abbottabad. Our target audience were
players of football, cricket, volleyball, and badminton. The first two questions of the survey were
general, the next two questions were demographic. There onwards we asked the students in the
sports complex about how they manage their time besides their study and how or if sports disturb
their study? Their responses were negative. We asked two more questions to determine the
standing of their grades without involvement in athletics and if they would continue to
participate in athletics if this participation resulted in worse grades than normal students. The
results showed ordinary students have a grade factor of 2.7, whereas athletes have a grade factor
of 3. Summing up, sports are also a requirement of the student as an extra co-curricular activity
with the studies and a student must provide best evaluations with it. A student must get involved
in a game that is suitable for him. Students’ non-curricular activities and their ability to manage
time and studies are affected by their enthusiasm for and management of sports. Thus,
Government, Universities, Schools and Colleges’ management along with the students’
guardians must work together in coming up with the best and most effective sports choice for a
4
student keeping in view the individuals unique needs and demographics for their best grooming
and training.
Introduction:
Background Information:
Many researchers (E.g. Blair and Morris, 2009) across the world document positive outcomes
from engaging in sports at all age levels. Regular sports activity improves a student's strength
and intelligence and helps him in making some good muscles and bones, helps in controlling
body weight, reduces stress, and may improve blood pressure (US department of health and
human service 2008). Furthermore, the Pakistan government arranges sports activities at the
school and college level every year and recognizes sports as the critical agent in developing
positive peer association and higher self-esteem among students. Having higher self-esteem and
being socially accepted are the key factors that contribute to positive feelings associated with
school and college, leading to better academic performance. Many students are coerced into
sports as children by their parents, to get involved and find a passion or hobby for themselves.
But here is the biggest question that should their parents support them? Should parents encourage
them into the life of sports? Many students in Pakistan don’t get the opportunity to get involved
in sports. There are two major factors;
I. There are no good arrangements for sports by the government of Pakistan.
II. Several students are not allowed to get involved in sports.
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This is all because of parents’ unawareness about sports. So, many bright students couldn’t get
involved in sports. The term “joke” is a well-known stereotype of athletes in high school and
college. The term joke is negatively being associated with an average athlete who seems solely
concerned with athletics, but the name is living up to the academic ambition of athletes today. A
study conducted by Pascarella, Nora, Bohr (1995) that college-level athletes are indeed suffering
in the classroom and cognitive knowledge as compared to their peers. On contrary, a study is
recognizing the positive of athletic involvement such as the increase in time management, reduce
stress and anxiety, satisfaction with the school, and acknowledgment that the positive outcomes
may outweigh the negative outcomes (Maloney and McCormick, 1993; Byrd and Ross, 1991).
The purpose of this study is the impact of physical activities on students’ academic performance
at college and school level in fact, throughout the study.
Statement of the Problem:
The purpose of the report is to investigate the physical activities impact on student’s academic
performance. Although playing sports is a healthy activity but the problem is that students don’t
concentrate on their studies as much as they are supposed to. Though sports are essential for
body growth and a healthy mind the excess of everything is bad. We all know that there is a
proper time for anything. There are a lot of people who manage their schedule well and give
proper time to sports and studies. But the number of such people is relatively small. Most of
them don’t care about studies. They give all their attention to their games and focus on getting
better at the type of sports they play. Plus, such people harm other students as well. They make
other people think is it even worth spending their time on studies when they can use it to go out
and enjoy themselves by playing different games. The human mind is more susceptible to
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negative things as compared to positive ones. Although playing sports is not a negative thing but
skipping classes for it, is. So, ultimately the good students are also driven to this mess and in the
end, everyone suffers. So, our main objective is that why and how sports affect the academic
performance of the students in which also is going to investigate why some students didn’t get
involved in sports and why students get involved in the sports activity.
Significance of the Study:
Before beginning to write a report on this topic, it is essential to carry out an in-depth study of
the subject topic. The detailed study helps the researchers to identify key aspects, context,
background, and dimensions of research. It enables the researchers to solve the problems with a
detailed plan to observe and record the facts and figures of the subject. It informs the researchers
how to conduct required data seeking and how to collect and how to interpret the data.
It gives a theoretical framework for the researcher. He knows about the subject and also knows
how to and how not he can approach the subject while keeping calculations in mind. As he
continues the research, he becomes able to interpret the data by continuously relating the
foundation and framework of the study which was established in the study phase.
The initial study will be more effective with graphical analysis and illustrations which is going to
be done after this. Visuals such as charts, graphs, videos, and animations establish a very stable
basis for proceeding with sound, comprehensive and outcomes on the given topic.
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Scope of the Study:
The scope of the study depends upon the effects of sports on students’ academic performance.
For which survey was conducted and different questions were asked to the students, based on
which results were derived. The survey included different students from different departments
and genders which will make the survey more authentic and more reliable. Moreover, we also
asked questions from the student’s parents who often do not allow their children to get involved
in sports which is the biggest problem for any student.
Limitations of the Study:
There are some limitations to the method adopted about the effects of sports on students. Only,
70 people took the surveys but there are more than 300 students who are actively involved in
sports activities. Taking surveys from more people would have given better and more accurate
results at least for this institution. Plus, the time frame was also limited. Such surveys could have
been conducted in other institutions and universities if there was more time available. Another
limitation is that our report only speaks for the students of COMSATS University Abbottabad
Campus. Other universities have different systems and checks on the sports activities that are
conducted in their institutions. So, the thinking and mentality of the students of such institutions
would have been different and our report could have been more general and broad. Conducting
surveys in other institutions and asking questions from their students will provide a stronger
response to how to overcome the shortcomings of playing sports and its impacts on students.
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Review of Related Literature:
(NCAA ,2012), finds that 45000 students in America do not participate in any of the physical
activities due to their studies because their parents forced them to get into studies and did not
allow them to participate in any kind of physical activities. This is the reason that students
remain physically weak and cannot develop their physical abilities properly. Also, some students
have a talent such as professional players, but they sacrifice their talent over study and didn't get
into the professional level. But some people take sports positively but the biggest hurdle they
face is about the concern of their future, that what will they do after their retirement.
In a study conducted by Pascarella et al. (1995), the main reason for the study is to find the
cognitive developments of the students. The study was conducted to determine the effect of
sports on comprehensive and critical thinking skills. A survey was conducted which was named
'National student learning survey', almost 2,416 students took part in the survey. The purpose of
the survey is to observe the learning abilities of students before and after the sports. It was found
that male students in professional sports such as football, cricket, and badminton, are weak in
reading comprehension and mathematics. They observed that those male students who involve in
such types of revenue sports struggled more as compared to other students. This experiment was
also done on the students who didn’t involve in sports. It was found that their ability of the mind
is less, or we can say weaker than those students who get involved in any kind of sports. But
female students hesitate to get involved in such kinds of sports. They always lagged behind their
peers and are dependent on their friends or colleagues.
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(Pascarella at al. 1995), both male and female athletes fell behind non-student athletes in critical
thinking skills such as open-mindedness and maturity. These stats confirm that some athletes fell
behind their peers but have led researchers to believe that revenue sports may be the real source
of the low academic progress of athletes.
The hours of practice and preparation of the games un-doubtfully took students away from the
study. Maloney and McCormick (1993) conducted a study at Clemson University of 595 studentathletes to find the effect of games on their academic performance. Most of the students were
found with lower grades than the other regular students. They also found that athletes also lagged
behind their peers. Athletes in football and basketball do one-tenth of a grade point worse than
their fellow student-athletes (Maloney & McCormick, 1993). Then they also conclude that
games like football cricket and badminton don’t allow athletes to be good students because these
games demand more time and hard work. So, they can't concentrate on their studies and remain
behind in study and grades as compared to other students. Some people are even providing their
opinion that these athletes or professionals are employees of the athletic department (Fee Zell,
2001).
On the other hand, some people believe in the positive impacts of sports. Studies have shown
that the participation of a student in the sorts has a positive impact on development and learning
(Bonfiglio, 2011). A study was conducted by Byrd and Ross (1991) focused on the effect of
athletic performance at the junior high level and showed that, even at an early age, sports help in
motivating student-athletes in the classroom. Their study was conducted in a rural county in
Tennessee and is based on the responses of 379 students with an intermixed number of athletes
and non-athletes. These students attended one of two schools in this area and the study consisted
10
of 284 students who are not athletes and 95 students who play sports. The study’s results showed
that 70% of people agreed that being an athlete motivated them to attend school regularly.
Contending at the university level outcomes in considerable missed class time, however, when
they are not voyaging, competitors are going to classes to at last remain qualified to keep playing
the game that they love. Unfortunately, there will never be an answer that satisfies every
person’s opinions and attitudes, but these researchers are providing the people with more
information to make an informed decision on student-level sports involvement and to see if it is a
good choice in their lives.
Methods of the Study:
The research has conducted a survey in which we ask questions from different students from
departments in the sports complex of Comsats University Abbottabad. We ask questions from
the players of football, cricket, volleyball, and badminton. All participants were very considerate
as they spent almost 3 minutes out of their time completing their survey. We asked different
questions and all responses were remarkable. But out of all, 3 people were unable to answer. The
first two questions of the survey were general, the next two questions were demographic in
which we asked about gender and education status. Then we asked the question from all the
students in the sports complex that how they manage their time besides their study and how and
why sports disturb their study if their responses were negative. Then we compared students' time
of sports and time of study and then examine their time management. We also asked them why
sports are very important for them, we ask them about their grades and how important these
grades are for them. Then we ask questions about the involvement of sports, are their grades
affected by sports or do their grades become better with the involvement of sports? These two
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questions seek to determine the standing of their grades without involvement in athletics and if
they would continue to participate in athletics if this participation resulted in worse grades than
normal students. Then we ask students about the government support which is provided to a
student who gets involved in the sports.
The purpose of this question is to determine if these services are helpful if people are attending
the events, and if event participation is having the desired positive effect on athletes’ life skills
and career direction. The next questions are about the student’s motivation to attend a class and
how sports affect their attendance.
Now, the first question is asked to know the effect of sports on an individual life. 2nd question
focuses on the effect of sports on students’ college or study. 3rd was a request from athlete
students to tell us about their grades and point average. And then we compare a student's time of
sports and time of study and then study their time management. We also ask them why sports are
very important for them. Then, we ask them about their grades and how important these grades
are for them. Then we ask similar questions without the involvement of sports and then with the
involvement of the sports. Are their grades affected by sports or do their grades become better
with the involvement of sports? These two questions seek to determine the standing of their
grades without involvement in athletics and if they would continue to participate in athletics if
this participation resulted in worse grades than normal students. Then we ask the student about
the government support which is provided to a student who gets involved in the sports.
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Results & Discussion:
Results:
The outcomes are based on 67 randomly selected students in COMSATS University Abbottabad
at different places. At the time of survey 27 students out of 67 were present outside the cafeteria,
21 in CS department and 22 within the sports complex. Results regarding this survey is
represented by 4 different diagrams as follows.
GENDER
Male
23
34
female
44
66
Freshman
13
20
Sophomore
15
22
Junior
20
30
Senior
19
28
TOTAL
67
100
EDUCATION
Table 1: Survey Participants, Education and Stats.
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4%
strongly disagree
49%
42%
disagree
neither agree nor disagree
strongly agree
agree
4%
1%
Figure 1: Percentage that indicates that the students of COMSATS have agreed that to emerge as athlete pupils
helped them to control their time.
We conducted a survey in which sixty seven students took part. We asked them if being an
athlete one can learn how to manage their time better. The results of this survey are:

49% of students strongly disagreed

1% of students just disagreed

4% of the students were in between they neither agreed nor disagreed

While 42% of students strongly agreed

And last 1% of students also agreed that being an athlete one can manage their time
better.
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1%
16%
less than 10
45%
10 t0 15
15 to 20
38%
20+
Figure 2: Question from COMSATS students that how many times per week that they are geared up to commit to
sports?
We asked from a group of students that how much time they are willing to devote in sports
activities in a week and the results showed that 1% of them were agreed to give less than 10 hrs.
16% of them were agreed to give between 10 to 15 hrs. 38 were dedicated to give between 15 to
20 hrs. a week and rest 45% of students were agreed to give more than 20 hrs. per week to the
sports.
15
16%
12%
LESS THAN 10
10 TO 15
22%
15 TO 20
20+
50%
.
Figure 3: Percentage of COMSATS STUDENT’s time that are committed to educational work
On the contrary we also asked them that how many hours per week they devote to their studies.
The results are as follows:

50% of students devote 10 to 15 hours a week

22% of students devote 15 to 20 hours a week

16% students devote more than 20 hours a week

And remaining 12% of students devote less than 10 hours a week to their studies.
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GPA
0%
4%
0-2
2-2.7
45%
51%
2.7-3.3
3.3-4
Figure 4: Percent of the GPA amongst students:
Students were asked about their GPAs. None of them were below 2, 51% students were below
2.7, 45% were in between 2.7 and 3.3 and rest 4% were above 3.3.
Discussion:
The conclusion was made after conducting a poll among COMSATS University students. This
survey was conducted to determine the influence of students' participation in sports. The purpose
of this study was to emphasize the negative and positive effects of physical activity on students'
overall academic performance.
The literature review section includes the COMSATS students' results, which were discussed in
the previous job. In which the majority of students trusted the findings of several researchers.
Our findings were disputed by Maloney and McCormick's file. They discovered that an athlete's
total performance is poorer than that of a typical student (Maloney, 1993).
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Ordinary students have a grade factor of 2.7, whereas athletes have a grade factor of 3.
According to research, students’ non-curricular activities and their ability to manage time and
studies are affected by their enthusiasm for and management of sports. According to research,
the attractive color can also assist a student in managing their time and professional path
(BURNS et, el 2013). The COMSATS University does an excellent job of hiring people who can
assist academics and athletes. Along with this knowledge, various workshops are necessary for
athlete college students to attend. It is important for a student because, in these types of seminars,
a student may learn a lot about his or her interest and receive career advice. Out of the 70
students who attended the program, 14 stated the seminars helped determine their career paths.
Research of BYRD AND ROSS (1991) shows that students who got worried about sports have
extra motivation to attend training. 22 students strongly agree with it, four students agree, sixteen
have disagreed and 26 strongly disagree. 6 out of 70 stated that sports activities didn’t assist
them to enhance their time control abilities. This survey is pretty comparable with the studies of
the BYRD and ROSS (1991) which tells us some fine effects of the sports. Pascrell et al,
advocate participation of a scholar inside the video games gain some precise outcomes inside the
first semester of the college. On COMSATS fundamental campus, 41 human beings “strongly
agree,” and 21 “agree” that participation in athletics made their college transition less difficult.
Both studies that Pascrell carried out were similar to the studies performed on student-athletes on
this campus.
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This survey is quite similar to the BYRD and ROSS (1991) study, which found that sports had
some good effects.
In the first semester of university, Pascarella suggests that a student's participation in games has
some positive impacts. On the COMSATS main campus, 41 people "strongly agree" and 21
people "agree" that athletic activity helped them adjust to college life. Both of Pascarella's
investigations were comparable to the study done on this school with student-athletes.
Conclusion:
After the entire overview, it can be concluded that there are many requirements of the different
games because each game has, unlike conditions. All sports are contrasting with concern to the
fitness of players and a combination of everything. For example, cricket and football are opposite
from each other.
So, the conclusion is that we asked random students about the necessity of games. According to
them, sports are a compulsory part of our studies. 80% of students are agreed while 20% have
disagreed. So, this is sum-up which proved that sports are also a requirement of the student as an
extra co-curricular activity with the studies and a student must provide best evaluations with it. A
student must get involved in a game that is suitable for him.
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SPORTS ARE THE ESSENTIAL PART OF
THE STUDY FOR STUDENTS
strongly disagree
16%
strongly agree
34%
neither agree nor
disagree
11%
disagree
9%
agree
30%
Figure 5: Sports, an essential part of students’ academics
Recommendations:
The survey was conducted in which we found some key points that were included as
recommendations here:
1. Government should take notice of the sports activity at the college and school level.
2. Parents should have aware of the importance of sports.
3. A committee should be formed at colleges and universities.
4. A student who is interested in a game should get involved in that particular game.
5. There should be awareness programs in the colleges and universities.
6. Sports should be an essential part of colleges and universities along with the study.
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References:
The Game of Life: College sports and educational. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/232307356?accountid=28594
Retrieved from https://www.ncaa.org
Document unavailable. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/205336184?accountid=28594
Document unavailable. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/205300564?accountid=28594
Appendices:
We visited the café at different times to conduct this survey. A survey was conducted to
determine the impact of sports and physical activities on the student’s performances by asking
these basic questions that are as follows:
Q. What is your gender?
1. Male
2. Female
Q. University year?
1. Freshman
2. Junior
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3. Senior
4. Faculty member
Q. Have games helped you in time management?
1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. None
4. Disagree
5. Strongly disagree
Q. Does Comsats support you to succeed?
1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. None
4. Disagree
5. Strongly disagree
Q. if you used academic services, did you attend any workshops?
1. Yes
2. No
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Q. How would you describe the effect of athletic involvement on your life?
1. Best Choice of your Life
2. Just Ok
3. Worst Choice of your Life
4. No effect on your life
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