Sports Moral Identity, Achievement Motivation, Physical Fitness, and Academic Procrastination Among Junior High School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61360/BoniCETR262020500802Keywords:
academic procrastination, achievement motivation, moral identity, physical fitness, physical education, junior high school studentsAbstract
This cross-sectional study of 570 junior high school students (266 boys, 304 girls) examined the relationships among sports moral identity, achievement motivation, physical fitness, and academic procrastination, alongside the mediating roles of sports moral identity and 50-m sprint performance. Questionnaire data and school-based fitness records were analyzed using correlations, hierarchical regression, and parallel mediation models. Sports moral identity and success-approaching motivation were negatively associated with procrastination, whereas failure-avoiding motivation was positively associated, with psychological variables explaining 55.7% of the variance versus only 0.9% added by fitness indicators. Among fitness measures, only the 50-m sprint score independently predicted procrastination (β = 0.095), though its indirect effect was small, while the indirect effect via sports moral identity was substantially larger (effect = −0.205 vs. −0.015). These findings indicate that sports moral identity and achievement motivation are dominant psychological correlates of academic procrastination, with overall fitness showing no direct link, and suggest that physical education should prioritize moral identity development alongside motivational and behavioral intervention strategies.
References
Anderman, E. M., & Maehr, M. L. (1994). Motivation and schooling in the middle grades. Review of Educational Research, 64(2), 287–309. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543064002287
Aquino, K., & Reed, A., II. (2002). The self-importance of moral identity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(6), 1423–1440. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.6.1423
Cheng, G., Qiu, W., Nie, Y., Ma, W., Wang, X., Wang, H., & Liu, C. (2026). Exploring the Associations of Physical Activity, Social Support, and Psychological Resilience in College Students: A Network Analysis. DOI: 10.32604/ijmhp.2026.078370
González-Brignardello, M. P., Sánchez-Elvira Paniagua, Á., & López-González, M. Á. (2023). Academic procrastination in children and adolescents: A scoping review. Children, 10(6), 1016. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061016
Li, R., Liu, C., Qiu, W., Ma, W., Nie, Y., & Wang, Q. (2025). The interplay between adolescents’ sports moral emotions and achievement motivation: The moderating role of grade level. Contemporary Education and Teaching Research, 6(11), 474–486. DOI: 10.61360/BoniCETR252019091103
Liu, C., Qu, G., & Gao, R. (2023). Defining sports moral character and clarifying its related concepts. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5. DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1101377
Liu, C., Ma, W., Qiu, W., Qu, G., & Gao, R. (2026). Network structure and latent profile analysis of adolescent sports moral character, goal orientations, and self-efficacy. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. DOI: 10.1080/1612197X.2026.2674611
Liu, C., Cao, Y., Zhang, Z., et al. (2023). Correlation of fundamental movement skills with health-related fitness elements in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Frontiers in Public Health. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1129258
Ma, W., Wang, X., Qiu, W., Nie, Y., Gao, R., & Liu, C. (2025). Association between neuroticism and physical activity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 19, 1557739. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1557739
Kavussanu, M., & Stanger, N. (2017). Moral behavior in sport. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 185–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.05.010
Kim, K. R., & Seo, E. H. (2015). The relationship between procrastination and academic performance: A meta-analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 26–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.038
Nie, Y., Wang, W., Zhou, F., Liu, C., et al. (2025). The association between procrastination and negative emotions in healthy individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1624094
Nie, Y., Wang, W., Zhou, F., Liu, C., & Gao, J. (2026). Association mechanism between physical activity and self-control in adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Current Psychology. DOI: 10.1007/s12144-025-08987-2
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
Qiu, W., Wang, X., Cui, H., et al. (2025). The impact of physical exercise on college students’ physical self-efficacy: The mediating role of psychological resilience. Behavioral Sciences. DOI: 10.3390/bs15040541
Qu, G., Jia, F., Liu, J., Wang, X., Tang, G., Gu, Z., Nie, Y., & Liu, C. (2026). The relationships among exercise participation, self-compassion and academic stress in classroom contexts: Based on latent profiles and mediation analyses. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 28(5), 7. DOI: 10.32604/ijmhp.2026.076017
Sirois, F. M. (2023). Procrastination and stress: A conceptual review of why context matters. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6), 5031. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065031
Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
Van Eerde, W., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2018). Overcoming procrastination? A meta-analysis of intervention studies. Educational Research Review, 25, 73–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.09.002
Wolters, C. A. (2003). Understanding procrastination from a self-regulated learning perspective. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(1), 179–187. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.95.1.179
World Health Organization. (2020). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. World Health Organization.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Longbing Yin, Jiashuo Qi, Yuxian Cao, Cong Liu*

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


