TY  - EJOU
AU  - Yuan, Hongmei 
AU  - Li, Siting 
AU  - Zhang, Yu 
AU  - Zhao, Yunheng 
AU  - Shen, Dan 
AU  - Huebnerd, E. Scott 

TI  - Sports participation and academic engagement: The chain mediating role of positive affect and life satisfaction
T2  - Journal of Psychology in Africa

PY  - 2025
VL  - 35
IS  - 6
SN  - 1815-5626

AB  - Academic engagement is a key factor in students’ academic success, yet its psychological pathways remain underexplored in the context of physical activity. This study investigated the relationship between sports participation and academic engagement, with a focus on the sequential mediating roles of positive affect and life satisfaction. A total of 1365 Chinese secondary school students (females = 55.09%; mean age = 15.95 years, SD = 1.65) participated in the study. Participants completed the Physical Activity Rating Scale, the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Academic Engagement Scale. Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 23.0 and Hayes’ (2017) PROCESS macro. The results showed that sports participation positively predicted academic engagement, and this relationship was sequentially mediated by positive affect and life satisfaction. These findings suggest that physical activity not only benefits students’ emotional well-being but also promotes their academic involvement. Schools should consider integrating physical activity into educational strategies to foster both psychological and academic development in adolescents.
KW  - left-behind children; academic engagement; sports participation; positive affect; life satisfaction

DO  - 10.32604/jpa.2025.073368