The Association between Fine and Gross Motor Skills with Cognitive Control and Academic Performance in Adolescent Students

Former studies mostly focused on the correlation of motor coordination with physical health, while this ability would be associated with mental health and certain determining performances, such as academic achievement. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between fine and gross motor coordination with cognitive control and academic performance. For this purpose, we studied 87 adolescent girl students, aged 13 to 15 years old, in the first grade of high school from Qeshm Island. The Pegboard and Star excursion balance tests were utilized to assess fine and gross motor coordination and the Stroop test for cognitive control. In addition, we considered the grade point average as the academic performance. For data analysis, the correlation and regression were used. Results indicated a significant negative relation between fine motor performance with non-dominant hand and error in incongruent trials (r=-0.21, P=0.0496). Moreover, there was no direct significant relation between motor and cognitive components with academic performance. However, a significant negative relation was observed between age, academic performance (r=-0.23, P=0.03) and balance performance (r=-0.38, P=0.0001), as well as a significant direct relation between the interference score and age (r=0.21, P=0.04). Based on the present findings, it seems that fine motor control of non-dominant hand has a common origin with inhibition. Additionally, considering the similar downward trends in the three components of academic performance, interference control, and balance as a result of the increase in age, it seems that age would be a determining factor in examining the relation between cognitive, motor, and academic performance.