Mechanisms through which table tennis practice influences the development of big five personality traits in primary school students

This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of a 16-week systematic table tennis training program on the Big Five personality traits of primary school students. Previous research has largely focused on the macro-level effects of physical activity, with limited fine-grained investigation into the psychological shaping mechanisms of specific sports, particularly intervention-based evidence involving children without prior training. A total of 98 male students aged 9–10 years were enrolled and, after propensity score matching (including age, baseline personality scores, etc.), were allocated to an experimental group ( n = 49) or a control group ( n = 49). The experimental group received moderate-intensity table tennis training three times per week (120 min per session), comprising technical drills, tactical exercises, and match simulations, while the control group maintained their routine activities. The short-form NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) was administered before and after the intervention. A 2 × 2 mixed-design ANOVA and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with pretest scores as covariates, were used to analyze the effects. The results revealed significant Time × Group interaction effects for Openness ( F (1,92) = 64.32, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.411), Neuroticism ( F (1,92) = 42.18, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.314), Agreeableness ( F (1,92) = 89.45, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.493), and Extraversion ( F (1,92) = 56.74, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.381) but not for Conscientiousness ( p = 0.076). Simple effects analyses indicated that the experimental group showed significant post-intervention improvements in Openness ( d = 1.67), Agreeableness ( d = 1.56), and Extraversion ( d = 0.86), along with a significant reduction in Neuroticism ( d = −0.89). No significant changes were observed in the control group. The findings suggest that systematic table tennis training can effectively promote the development of emotional stability, openness, agreeableness, and extraversion in primary school students, but it has a limited effect on conscientiousness. This study provides preliminary causal evidence for fostering children’s personality development through a specific sport and offers empirical support for the integration of sports and education. Limitations include the all-male sample and the quasi-experimental design. Future research should employ large-scale randomized controlled trials and multi-source assessments to further validate these results.