Dr.Hab., Professor  Z.I. Tyumaseva¹
PhD, Associate Professor I.L. Orekhova¹
Dr.Hab., Professor E.B. Bystray¹
Dr.Hab., Professor V.I. Sivakov¹
PhD, Associate Professor E.S. Gladkaya^1
1South Ural State Humanitarian-Pedagogical University, Chelyabinsk

Keywords: health, values-driven health agenda, physical fitness, students, GTO Complex tests.

Background. Psychological and didactic aspects of the modern physical training theory and practice are increasingly relevant for the sport science, with a special priority given to the concepts of uninterrupted education and the values-driven health motivations in the physical education and physical fitness (PF) building services [2-4, 1]. In this context the Russian Physical Culture and Sports 'Ready for Labour and Defence' (GTO) Complex reinstatement project may be viewed both as the state-mandated popular PF test program and the national health building mechanism. Our study was designed to test benefits of the values-driven health agenda for physical progress in trainings for the GTO Complex tests in the theoretical and practical aspects.

Objective of the study was to test benefits of the values-driven health agenda for physical progress in trainings for the GTO Complex tests.

Methods and structure of the study. Sampled for the study were the 1-year students (n=182) of the History, Foreign Languages and Physics & Mathematics Departments of the South Ural State Humanitarian-Pedagogical University. The students’ health values and physical progress agendas were probed by the following methods: analysis of the modern notions of ‘health’ and ‘values’; questionnaire survey to rate the health agendas and healthy lifestyles (HLS) by the Rokeach Value Survey; Z.I. Tyumaseva, A.A. Tsygankova and I.L. Orekhova Health Improvement Needs and Pressures Test; health self-rating Gissensky Physical Wellbeing Self-test; and Eysenck Personality Mental Status Self-rating Test; objective G.L. Apanasenko, G.V. Naumenko Physical Health Express Test; and standard PF tests [4, 5].

Results and discussion. Questionnaire surveys of the sample found 82% and 18% of the sample having underdeveloped and undeveloped health agenda, respectively; albeit more than 40% were found welcoming health improvement ideas and initiatives as verified by the Rokeach Value Survey (including the target values and instrumental values).

The Gissensky Physical Wellbeing Self-test and Eysenck Personality Mental Status Self-rating Test found the sample unhealthy, with 63.6% unhappy with their physical health/ wellbeing; and 90.9% unsatisfied with their mental health. Furthermore, the G.L. Apanasenko, G.V. Naumenko Physical Health Express Test rated only 39,7% of the sample within the ‘health safety’ zone; and 11.5%, 24.4%, 55.1%, 7.7% and 1.3% with the poor, under median, median, above median and high health levels. Given in Table 1 hereunder are the PF rates of the sample on a 4-point scale.

Table 1. PF rates of the sample on a 4-point scale

On the whole, 9.4%, 48.2% and 42.4% of the sample were tested with the above median, median and low physical fitness, respectively.

Conclusion. Initiatives to form the values-driven health agendas may be described as the purposeful projects geared to cultivate positive and sensitive attitudes to the own health and healthy lifestyles on a sound knowledgebase – to help the students develop stable motivations for health protection and improvement efforts by means of the modern physical education toolkit. Well-developed health values and motivations will facilitate physical progress and commitment for the GTO Complex trainings and tests. The health values cultivation initiatives need to be supported by the health-prioritizing academic education environments and efforts to popularize the physical excellence systems in the student communities – based on the physical skills and abilities building, knowledge of the modern hygienic standards and body tempering, willpower building and fitness methods and services for success of the focused trainings for the GTO Complex tests.

References

1. Volkov P.B. Cultivating physical education and sports value attitude among rural youth. Kazan: Kazan National Research Technological University publ., 2015. 135 p.
2. Raysvikh Yu.A., Bystray E.B.   Actualization of personal functions of future teachers as condition for formation of professional value orientations in context of dialogue of cultures. Vestnik pedagogicheskikh innovatsiy. 2005. no. 1. pp.  64–69.
3. Rozov N.S. Values ​​in problem world: philosophical foundations and social applications of constructive axiology. Novosibirsk: NU publ., 1998. 292 p.
4. Semenova L.M., Semenova T.O., Yakovleva L.M. Functional adaptation of schoolchildren to educational process. Vestnik Chuvashskogo universiteta. 2013. no. 3. pp. 502–506.
5. Tyumaseva Z.I., Orekhova I.L., Kushnina E.G. Russian children's health improvement as innovative educational activity (in pre-school education). Chelyabinsk: Tsitsero publ., 2012. 299 p.
6. Tyumaseva Z.I., Orekhova I.L., Valeeva G.V., Gladkaya E.S. Health-protecting and safe “university-school” space design as a condition for students' professional development. Chelyabinsk:  ChSPU publ., 2015. 288 p.

Corresponding author: zit@cspu.ru

Abstract

The national education psychology gives a high priority to the physical progress securing theory and practices in the national educational system – to meet the social demand for the young people’s health protection and improvement services in view of the new generation’s expected contribution to the future economic, political and social progress. The Russian Physical Culture and Sports 'Ready for Labour and Defence' (GTO) Complex reinstatement project was designed as a national health improvement initiative with its state-approved physical fitness standards and requirements. This is the reason why the methods to train students for the GTO Complex tests are ranked so important by the education system. Objective of the study was to test benefits of the values-driven health agenda for physical progress in trainings for the GTO Complex tests. We run a set of objective and subjective health tests and surveys at a pedagogical university to rate the students’ physical fitness versus their attitudes to healthy lifestyle and health. Less than 40% of the sample was tested with a safe health level, with 82% of the sample tested with underdeveloped health agenda and commitment to healthy lifestyle. It was found that special efforts need to be taken to cultivate a values-driven health agenda in students for physical progress in trainings for the GTO Complex tests.