Gamified Physical Education and Cognitive Performance Among Chinese Secondary School Students: Cross-Sectional Moderation Mediation Study.

Abstract

Background: Educators are exploring new methods to educate beyond the classroom as global concerns about students' cognitive, emotional, and social well-being grow. Physical education (PE) has been demonstrated to boost cognitive and psychological outcomes in several studies. Most research has neglected the benefits of gamification and artificial intelligence (AI)-based feedback in PE, focusing instead on conventional PE formats. The impacts of technologically enhanced PE settings on students' cognitive performance through feedback and reward mechanisms remain understudied.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate how intrinsic motivation and AI-based feedback moderated the effects of gamified PE on students' cognitive performance.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design. In Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, a total of 1029 public high school students completed a standardized questionnaire. Students in secondary school (male: n=490, 47.6% and female: n=539, 52.4%) aged 10-18 years, were recruited from urban, suburban, and rural locales. Participants were sourced from public, private, and semigovernment schools, reflecting a range of academic achievement levels and access to technology. Students participating in standard PE sessions were included, whereas those with medical conditions that restricted physical exercise were excluded. Data were gathered via standardized questionnaires during designated PE sessions. Gamified PE, cognitive performance, intrinsic motivation, teacher support, collaboration, and AI feedback were examined using standardized instruments. Trained facilitators helped younger participants understand and follow ethical norms. The study used maximum likelihood estimation for structural equation modeling. Bootstrapping was used to analyze mediation and moderation effects at a 5% significance level (α=.05).

Results: According to structural equation modeling, gamified PE highly predicts cognitive performance (β=.34; P<.001). Other significant factors were teacher support (β=.31; P<.001), physical exercise enjoyment (β=.28; P<.001), and teamwork (β=.26; P<.001). AI-based feedback strengthened the link between gamified PE and cognitive performance under moderation analysis (β=.18; P<.001). Mediation analysis indicated that intrinsic motivation partially mediated the relationship, resulting in a significant indirect effect (β=.21, 95% CI 0.12-0.31; SE=0.05).

Conclusions: This research integrates gamified PE with AI-based feedback mechanisms to evaluate students' cognitive outcomes, a domain that has been rarely investigated experimentally. This study highlights the combined effect of intrinsic motivation and AI-generated feedback in a technology-enhanced PE context, in contrast to previous research that primarily focuses on traditional PE methods or isolated gamification elements. The findings enhance the field by demonstrating that student-centered, feedback-rich PE environments may improve cognitive abilities through social interaction, enjoyment, and instructor support. AI-assisted, gamified PE programs may enhance learning outcomes and academic performance among secondary school students.