Dr. Hab., Professor S.A. Gilmanov¹
Dr. Hab., Associate Professor V.A. Mishchenko¹
PhD, Associate professor E.A. Kukuev²
PhD, Associate professor V.A. Lobova^1
1Yugra State University, Khanty-Mansiysk
²Tyumen State University, Tyumen

Keywords: physical activity, disabled students, inclusive education, academic mobility.

Background. The national legislation, pedagogical and psychological research communities, many public and non-governmental organizations give more and more attention to the needs of people with disabilities and health limitations [2, 4, 6]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical activity as "bodily movements executed by skeletal muscles at some energy cost" and sets age-specific physical activity levels in its "Global recommendations for healthy physical activity" [3]. We believe that this very broad definition may be put on a more specific basis, including the physical activity of people with disabilities and health limitations trained in the inclusive education system, with a special emphasis on the personality progress, socialization needs and academic mobility of these health groups.

Objective of the study was to theoretically substantiate a new personality progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model for disabled university students.

Methods and structure of the study. We have theoretically analyzed for the purposes of the study 127 sources describing the physical activity practices for students with disabilities and health limitations classified by the physical activity models and types including textbooks, monographs and study reports. We also made a qualitative analysis of the on-standardized observations of the disabled students’ physical activity at Tyumen and Yugra State Universities, with the sample including people with cerebral palsy, musculoskeletal disorders of different diagnoses and severity classes, people with visual and auditory system impairments, etc. Based on the above data and analyses, we designed the new physical activity model customizable for the special physical activity service goals.

Results and discussion. The new progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model was designed with specific physical activity goals with the muscular movements viewed as a specific vital system for students with disabilities. This physical activity model classifies physical activity into the general, socializing and creative physical activity classes.

General physical activity may be defined as the common and traditional motor activity for physical health improvement purposes with its traditional sets of health rehabilitation, therapeutic and adaptive physical practices. The goal of the general physical activity is to protect and improve health by the traditional movement culture.

Socializing physical activity, as we would define it, is the movement system focused on socially important goal(s) achievable in compliance with the relevant social rules or standards. Ranked with the socializing physical activity may be modern sports plus social events including games, competitions, etc. Goal of the socializing physical activity is to meet some social affiliation needs, help people assert themselves within some social environment (group, community, association etc.) as dictated by their self-respect and personality progress agendas.

And creative physical activity may be defined as the movement system geared to generate a creative original product in some arts (music, dances), technologies, household service domain etc.; with such physical activity dictated rather by the creative subject than the social environment and designed to find some creative options and solutions (including fully independent design ideas), with the creative movements, their sequences and characteristics being fully controlled by the subject. Such creative physical activity heavily contributes to the personality progress, healthy living standards and individual self-assertion agendas.

It should be emphasized that the above physical activity specifications help put on a more categorical basis the socio-cultural benefits of physical activity, as the general physical activity protects, improves and rehabilitates health of the active social groups; the socializing physical activity encourages healthy social practices that contribute to the social cohesion and humanism; and the creative physical activity enriches the individual spirituality and social culture on the whole.

We would mention in this context that some studies have empirically proved that “students’ physical inactivity negatively affects their psychological well-being and, hence, undermines their adaptability to the academic environments” [1, p. 128]. It was also demonstrated by a progress facilitating experiment using training machines with a biofeedback capacity, that such motor practices help the disabled students improve their physical wellbeing and, as a result, activate them for physical progress and social adaptation to the academic environment [1, p. 134].

The new progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model was designed to address every of the above physical activity classes on a combined and synergized basis for the personality progress of the disabled students, with the general physical activity geared to encourage the social adaptation and creative activity, socializing physical activity complementing the general physical activity and contributing to the creativity, and the creative physical activity inspiring the both above physical activity classes by the aesthetic dimension of the movement culture and new movement improvement options with a special priority of the life values, missions and meanings. For the progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model being successful, we recommend due support from the relevant specialists including doctors, sports coaches, teachers, psychologists, sport managers, etc.

One of the benefits of the progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model viewed as a driver for conscious self-developmental activity of the disabled students is the notable growth of their vocational and academic mobility, with the latter considered as the tree physical activity classes unification tool. It facilitates the physical activity acting as a determinant for the general, socializing and creative physical activity as it activates and expands the individual social contacts thereby mobilizing and physically activating students for the socially appreciated goals achievable within the framework of the social norms, standards and rules (with the socialization benefits). It should also be emphasized that every educational situation associated with academic mobility requires special performance effectiveness to produce an original product, with the creative domain being mobilized.

The physical activity specialists’ efforts to socialize and develop the disabled students need to be synergized in the individualized psychological and pedagogical support service provided on a systemic basis to attain the preset goals; with a special priority to facilitating the physical-activity-driven self-development process. Such facilitation will be free of special goal setting, as it will be designed to “stimulates progressive changes rather than attain an expected outcome: it just stimulates and liberates internal healthy processes by removing strict limitations” [5, p. 37].

Conclusion. The new progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model addressing every of the three physical activity classes gives the means not only to maintain the physical resources of disabled students in their efforts to cope with the spatial control and environmental barriers, improve health and working capacity, but also to effectively stimulate their socializing processes, with a special attention to their physical-activity-driven self-development mechanisms mobilization by systemic and determined physical efforts geared to attain socially appreciated goals and generate creative products.

The study was sponsored by a grant financing from the RFRF under Research Project #19-013-00373-А “Disabled students’ academic motility encouragement in the academic education system transformation process”

References

1. Kabachkova A.V. [ed.] Actual problems of physical education, sports, tourism and recreation. Proc. V national research-practical conference of students and postgraduates with international participation studentov i aspirantov, Tomsk, April 20 2017. Tomsk: STT publ., 2017. 340 p. [Electronic resource]. Available at: https://elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_29166595_74120004.pdf (date of access: 15.07.2019).
2. Bobrovskiy E.A. Adaptive sports and physical education in rehabilitation for disabled people. International Journal of Applied and Basic Research. 2017. No. 4-2. pp. 456-459.
3. Global Recommendations for Physical Activity for Health [Electronic resource]. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44399/9789244599976_rus... (date of access: 15.07.2019).
4. Ismontas B.B. [ed.] Inclusive Education of Students with Disabilities and Health Limitations Using E-Learning, Distance Learning Technologies. Reader for higher education teachers working with students with disabilities and health limitations. Moscow: MSPPU publ., 2015. 334 p.
5. Leontiev D.A., Aleksandrova L.A., Lebedeva A.A. Personal development and mental conditioning for students with disabilities in inclusive professional education. Moscow: Smysl publ., 2017. 79 p.
6. Logvinova Y.V., Slepukhina A.A., Proskurina E.F. Adaptive physical education to increase social activity of people with disabilities. Vestnik sovremennykh issledovaniy. 2018. No. 11.1 (26). pp. 108-110.
7. Tsarik A.V. Physical education and sports for the disabled: social significance, condition, current problems and solutions. Vestnik Rossiyskogo Mezhdunarodnogo olimpiyskogo universiteta. 2014. No. 4. pp. 72-83.

Corresponding author: Gsa1109@yandex.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to theoretically substantiate a new personality progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model for disabled university students.

Methods and structure of the study. We have theoretically analyzed for the purposes of the study 127 sources describing the physical activity practices for students with disabilities and health limitations classified by the physical activity models and types including textbooks, monographs and study reports. We also made a qualitative analysis of the on-standardized observations of the disabled students’ physical activity at Tyumen and Yugra State Universities, with the sample including people with cerebral palsy, musculoskeletal system disorders of different diagnoses and severity classes, people with visual and auditory system impairments, etc. Based on the above data and analyses, we designed the new physical activity model customizable for the special physical activity service goals.

Results and discussion. We designed the new progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model with special goals that includes the general, socializing and creative physical activity classes, with the general physical activity interpreted as the motor activity geared to protect and improve health; socializing physical activity as the movement system focused on socially important goal(s) achievable in compliance with the relevant social rules or standards; and  creative physical activity as the movement system geared to generate a creative original product in some arts (music, dances), technologies, household service domain etc. The new progress and social adaptation facilitating physical activation model implies, among other things, the disabled students’ engagement in special field training, competitive and other events at other educational institutions for the academic mobility encouragement purposes.