Abstract

With the ongoing reform of China’s educational evaluation system and the advancement of integrating sports and education, the Senior High School Physical Education (PE) Entrance Examination has increasingly become a key policy tool for promoting the physical health of young people. This study adopts a theoretical approach to systematically explore the examination's potential application and underlying mechanisms on secondary school students' physical fitness (PF). The findings suggest that the examination, through institutionalised incentive mechanisms, effectively enhances students’ participation in physical activity and raises their health awareness, thereby contributing significantly to improvements in PF. However, issues such as the limited scope of assessment items, unequal resource distribution, and increased psychological pressure have also emerged. The paper further analyses critical influencing factors, including the structure and standards of the examination, educational resources within schools, and the level of family and societal support. Based on this analysis, the study offers recommendations for policy and practice, such as optimising examination systems, adjusting educational strategies, and developing comprehensive support frameworks. The paper also acknowledges the limitations posed by a lack of empirical data and calls for future research to focus on the effects of specialised instruction, conduct longitudinal empirical studies, and explore collaborative multi-stakeholder mechanisms to enhance educational outcomes and improve performance on the Senior High School PE Entrance Examination.