# The influence of children’s physical activity time on the development of prosocial moral reasoning: evidence from school consolidation policy in rural northern China

## TL;DR

This study shows that more physical activity in rural Chinese primary school students is linked to better moral reasoning, especially for younger students and boarders.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel analysis of how school merger policies affect moral reasoning through changes in physical activity.

## Key findings

- Physical activity frequency is significantly correlated with prosocial moral reasoning.
- Increased physical activity is linked to reduced hedonistic tendencies and increased other-oriented tendencies.
- Physical activity predicts 18.4% of the variance in hedonistic moral reasoning.

## Abstract

This study integrates TPSR model and Eisenberg’s theory of moral emotion as the theoretical framework to explore the influence of physical activity on prosocial moral reasoning of rural primary school students, focusing on the “school merger” policy. Data from 292 fifth and sixth-grade students in Ping Yao County were analyzed. Results showed significant correlations between physical activity frequency and prosocial moral reasoning, with physical activity negatively correlated with hedonistic tendencies and positively correlated with needs-oriented and other-oriented tendencies. Regression analysis indicated that physical activity predicted the variance in hedonistic moral reasoning (R2 = 0.184). The findings suggest that increased physical activity promotes moral reasoning development, particularly for boarders and younger students.