Aerobic-Cognitive Orienteering Training Model for Improving Executive Function in Less Active Students

Abstract

Physical inactivity negatively affects executive function among university students. This study aimed to develop and evaluate an Aerobic–Cognitive Orienteering Training Model for improving executive function among underactive university students. A Research and Development (R&D) approach based on the Borg and Gall model was integrated with a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design involving 124 undergraduate students at Zunyi Medical University, China. Data were collected through expert validation, field testing, observations, and executive-function assessments, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, N-Gain analysis, independent-samples t-tests, and thematic analysis. The results showed that the developed model was valid, practical, and significantly more effective than conventional aerobic exercise in improving executive function (p < 0.001). The findings suggest that integrating aerobic exercise with navigation-based cognitive tasks provides an effective strategy for enhancing executive function and supports its application in university physical education.