A One-Year Longitudinal Impact Tracking Study of Participation in Physical Education on Academic Achievements of Chinese High School Students From the Perspective of Development Trajectory Visualization

Guided by Developmental Systems Theory, this study examined how different trajectories of physical education (PE) participation relate to academic development among Chinese high school students. Using three-wave longitudinal survey data collected between October 2022 and November 2023, latent profile analysis and growth modeling were employed to identify PE participation trajectories and assess their associations with academic performance. It was hypothesized that students maintaining sustained or adaptive engagement in PE would demonstrate greater academic growth than those showing declining participation patterns. Three trajectories were identified: sustained high-investment, fluctuation—adaptation, and gradual disengagement. Students in the sustained high-investment group showed the largest academic improvement (growth = 0.320), followed by the fluctuation—adaptation group (0.123), whereas the gradual disengagement group exhibited minimal change (0.023). The advantage of sustained participation was particularly evident in mathematics performance (growth = 0.351 vs. −0.031). These findings challenge the academic priority paradigm by evidencing the systemic role that PE plays in holistic development, highlighting the value of consistent PE engagement in supporting students’ holistic development within educational contexts. This research advances policy optimization by translating sports-education integration from conceptual advocacy into evidence-based practice.