An investigation into the existing relationship between physical activity and levels of happiness in Key Stage Two pupils

Abstract

This study was undertaken with the intention of finding out whether there is an existing relationship between physical activity and levels of happiness in Key Stage Two pupils. The pupils involved in this investigation were Key Stage Two pupils from Primary Five, Primary Six and Primary Seven classes.  In total, there were two hundred and seventy-five pupils involved, one hundred and thirty-five of which were male and one hundred and forty of which were female.  Their ages ranged from eight years to eleven years.  The subjects attended six different schools in Northern Ireland and were from different socio-economic backgrounds.  After the results were collected, they were imputed to a spreadsheet to allow for clear interpretation.

To determine how much physical activity the subjects engaged in, individual pedometers were used to discover the precise amount of steps they each took during the course of a particular school day.  In order to obtain levels of happiness, each child participated in a brief interview.  The information gained from the interview outlined how happy each pupil was in general and how happy each pupil was within school.  To formulate a score from their answers, each pupil was asked to rate their happiness level from 1 – 5 (1 being very sad and 5 being very happy).

After comparing the results of all subjects, it was evident that the male subjects were more physically active than their female counterparts.  Additionally, the male subjects were happier within school.  However, in terms of general happiness, the female subjects were happier than their male colleges.  Ultimately, it can be stated that there was very little correlation between physical activity and levels of happiness in pupils in Key Stage Two.