Positive Effect of Physical Exercise on University Students’ Creative Thinking

Abstract

This study aims to assess the relationship between engagement in physical exercise and the level of creative thinking among university students. A total of 120 students were recruited using stratified random sampling to ensure a diverse representation of academic disciplines and backgrounds. The sample was divided into two groups: a research group of 60 participants who engaged in a structured physical exercise program and a control group of 60 students who did not participate in any physical exercise. The Torrance Test of Creative ThinkingVerbal was used to evaluate the creative thinking indicator. Before initiating the experimental activities, a comprehensive questionnaire specifically designed to assess creative thinking abilities. T-test was used to compare the means of two independent groups to determine if the observed differences in their scores are statistically significant. Based on pre-test TTCT-V scores of both research and control groups do not significantly differ. The results of the study confirmed significant differences between the research and control groups by the post-test TTCT-V scores. This result indicates that the research group exhibited a higher level of cognitive flexibility, and an ability to shift between different ideas and approaches. In conclusion, this study confirms that physical exercise has a positive effect on university students' creative thinking during term time.