Dr.Hab., Professor, Honoured Scientist of Russia A.Ya. Nayn
PhD E.S. Borisenkova
PhD, Associate professor V.V. Loginov
Ural State University of Physical Culture, Chelyabinsk

Keywords: assessment, translation theory, conditioning exercises, physical culture, cognitive activity, bachelors

Introduction

It is a matter of common knowledge that the key role in the vast variety of existing relations and connections we deal with is played by those that are defined as natural ones in modern science [9]. It is exactly the natural relations that are imperative for the type, content, essence and manifestation form of the young persons’ cognitive activity appearance, formation and growth process.

It were the studies by L.A. Veidner, [1], Y.N. Kabanova-Meller [5], M.M. Lisina [7], M.K. Menshikova [8] and R.T. Rayevskiy [11] that demonstrated that it is the translation phenomenon (that translates the motor skills and knowledge obtained in one sport discipline to the similar qualities development process in other sports) that forms a basis for the mechanism of conditioning exercises being of positive effect on the cognitive activity and its success rate. This translation process may go in between the structurally similar motor patterns – in case of different physical practices, for instance – and in relatively distant ones.

Although the translation theory has long been acknowledged and applied in vocational and applied students’ physical training systems, some of its provisions are still in need of more detailed analysis, theoretical design and special experimental tests.

Objective of the study was to provide scientific substantiations for the translation theory in application to the body conditioning exercises being translated into the Bachelors’ cognitive activity improvement process.

The study was designed to check the hypothesis that assumes that the trainees engaged in regular conditioning exercises should show a higher level of cognitive activity in the academic education process [9].

Methods and structure of the study. Subject to the study designed to explore and rate effects of the translation theory in application to the conditioning exercises being translated into the Bachelors’ cognitive activity improvement process were the 1-2-year students (n = 136) from Ural State University of Physical Culture (Chelyabinsk) and its College.

With the purpose of the process of scientific substantiations being accumulated for the translation theory in application to conditioning exercises being translated into the Bachelors’ cognitive activity improvement process, we developed a questionnaire survey method and tested it for reliability (0,689) and, preliminary, for validity (0.238 to 0.874). This survey method considers not only the rated practical functioning aspect of the subject cognitive activity, but makes an emphasis on the quality of this activity whereby the student’s personality manifests its assets including the personal attitudes to the constituents of conditioning exercises, essential aspects of the activity and willingness to mobilise the intrapersonal volitional and ethical resources to attain objectives of the education-and-cognition process. The practical training sessions were designed for the teacher to create certain special conditions and apply a set of conditioning exercises geared to fully mobilize the intellectual, volitional and physical resources and abilities of the students. It was the right selection of the cognitive activity activation tools and educational conditions that the students’ activity levels and, eventually, the quality of the professional background of university graduates was found to largely depend on.

The physiological aspect of the motor skills translation mechanism was viewed in the context of the relevant provisions of the scholar school of I.M. Sechenov, I.P. Pavlov and their followers that noted that professional skills will be always built up as a complex system of temporary conditional reflex relations; and motor skills will be always formed based on the previously obtained bodily coordination qualities. It was I.P. Pavlov who came up with the idea of dynamic stereotypes or functional systems being developed in the motor skill formation process when it is built up of specific elements. The term “dynamic” is intended to underline in this context the functional aspect of this stereotype that assumes the latter being formed and matured only after the relevant physical exercises; and it may be impaired by fatigue, strong emotions, health disorders etc.; and even partially lost when the training process is suspended for a long time [2]. We were governed by the above key findings in testing the newly developed set of conditioning exercises geared to spur the cognitive activity of trainees.

The method requires the motor skills acquired through conditioning exercises being firmly fixed to be freely combined with the other sport motor actions that claim extensive adaptation efforts to cope with the changes in the competitive sport/ training environment. The translation process may be considered successful in case that some elements of the relevant set of conditioning exercises are similar in their structure to the content and semantics of the athlete’s cognitive activity.

In opinion of T.T. Dzhamgarov and Y.K. Dem'yanenko, the translation phenomenon may apply both to motor skills and physical qualities in case of physical education practice [3]. It should be noted in this context, however, that a “clinically clean” translation of physical qualities and/or motor skills can unlikely be monitored in real practice for the reason that they are interrelated and integrated in any conditioning exercise system, with the training process quality being largely dependent both on the motor skills and physical quality levels. Therefore, when it comes to explanations of the individual physical qualities being translated to some other form(s) of activity, it is unlikely reasonable to operate within the limited domain of the motor skill structure analysis only. The translation process in many cases will be interpreted in the context of integrated morphological, biochemical and functional changes in the body triggered by the conditioning exercises geared to develop the subject qualities. It is on this idea, for instance, that the adolescents’ athletic fitness rates and the relevant physiological criteria were based on in the study by R.D. Kartsev [6].

Striving to explain the above phenomenon, V.M. Zatsiorskiy, being governed by the theory of physiologist S.G. Gellerstein, came up with a matrix principle of movement control that assumes that the higher-level control structures of cerebrum send down to the low-level spinal segments switch-on signals (that activate one or another control matrix) rather than concrete detailed commands; and the control matrixes may be interpreted as the system-level rules worked out before and localized in the relevant segment-based apparatuses of the spinal cord. These control matrices are assumed to be the key for the wide variety of movement patterns being mastered and performed [4].

Study results and discussion

In studies of the translation-theory-based mechanisms of the conditioning exercises being translated into the Bachelors’ cognitive activity improvement process, we would make an emphasis on the following aspects of the process. On the one hand, high physical fitness level ensures the necessary physiological foundation for the gradually growing academic endurance under loads. And on the other hand, the conditioning exercises naturally contribute to the autonomic body systems flexibility assuring mechanisms being formed under stresses; and these mechanisms are activated by the growing intellectual workloads, particularly at the moments of big decisions made at the critical stages of the professional education challenges being solved – and naturally associated with high emotional stresses.

In the process of assessing the translation theory effects in terms of the conditioning exercises being translated into the Bachelors’ cognitive activity improvement process, we set ourselves the following question: what is the level of physical qualities and motor skills when they may start causing a positive effect on other activities on the whole and the academic cognitive activity in particular?

Our analysis to find correlations in the conditioning exercises performance rates gave the means to identify a few regularities in the translation process. It seems highly probable that the process of physical fitness translation to the professional/ education skills goes in a most smooth manner at the first stages of the motor skill and ability formation process in both of the forms of activity. The more the student masters the conditioning exercises and the higher is his/her professional/ education abilities, the looser are the connections between these two domains. This finding is proved by a correlation analysis of the basic physical development exercises as such. The correlation analysis of the first-year Bachelors’ 200 m track race results versus the long jump results showed the result correlation rate of around 0.86 compared to that of the 2^nd year students whose correlation rate was found to drop to 0,65.

It might be that the low stages of the athletic and academic establishment process when the key skills are still imperfect and unstable, as noted by Y.K. Dem'yanenko, offer more opportunities for success for account of similar mechanisms being triggered to pursue other sport and educational goals [10].

The pilot set of conditioning exercises was tested by vocation-graphics method to identify the leading psychomotor and psycho-physiological qualities and special motor skills and use them as a basis for recommendations to select the best set of physical exercises. In addition, the practical educational accomplishments were matched with the development levels of a variety of physical qualities of the trainees to identify their preferences in the cognition domain that may be most beneficial in the context of their future professional career.

It follows from the relevant provisions of the skills translation theory, as maintained by M.N. Spirin, that the individual physical qualities development processes are fairly closely interconnected at the first stages of the education and training process [12]. It is for this reason that, regardless of the priorities in the training process design, physical qualities will be developed in a quite balanced manner until the certain skill level is attained. It should be noted that, when high-level cognitive activity is not required by the specific standards of a future professional career, additional conditioning exercises may not always be recommended.

It may be pertinent to make special emphasis on an interesting fact found by the study: that the highest levels of cognitive activity triggered by the conditioning course were found in those students who gave the highest marks to the quality of the course and personal assets of their physical education teacher (see Table 1 hereunder). It should be noted, for instance, that 25.3% of the trainees who liked their teacher were tested with high cognitive activity rates, as compared to only 9.7% tested with high cognitive activity rates among the students who negatively rated their teacher. It is very likely that this situation may be due to the emotional factor that can largely affect cerebrum. In addition, certain connections between the subject and object were obvious in the context of the translation process being successful in the period of active conditioning exercises.

Table 1. Correlative variations of the cognitive activity rates following conditioning exercises versus the teacher’s personality ratings by the Bachelors, %

The test study was also designed to explore the cognitive activity variations following the conditioning exercises versus some biological and social rates of the students. A few gender-specific differences in the self-ratings were found – including, for example, notable improvements in the cognitive activity self-ratings by 22.4% of young women and 16.7% of young men. However, the cognitive activity self-ratings following the sport-specific and unassisted training sessions were different as 27.2% of young men and 18.4% of young women reported high cognitive activity self-rates (the correlation being significant with р = 0.04). It is likely that this phenomenon is due to the generally higher degree of self-discipline in young women and the higher need in conditioning exercises in young men.

The study data and analysis give reasons to note the considerable growth of the number of students with high cognitive activity rates following the unassisted training sessions, albeit the variation trends stay virtually the same. It is not unlikely that this training format offers great potential opportunities in terms of favourable impacts of the conditioning exercises on the emotionally unstable students.

Conclusion

The students actively engaged in the conditioning exercises backed by sport training and competitive experience were found to faster adapt to the new educational environments and easier establish interpersonal relations with their teammates that often helps them being recognized formal or informal leaders.

References

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Corresponding author: ekboris24@mail.ru

Abstract
The article explores the effects of the translation theory viewed as a social phenomenon that forms a basis for the process of vitally important movement patterns, skills and the relevant specific knowledge being shaped up and accumulated. And it manifests itself mostly through the cognitive activity encouragement in young people doing sports. The article explores and demonstrates how the translation process may be designed to be beneficial both in complicated athletic motor actions and in the relatively simple conditioning process. Studied herein is the case of the motor skills translation mechanism designed based on the practical experience of the I.M. Sechenov and I.P. Pavlov's scholar school in the translated skills being fixed as a complex system of temporary relations. The study shows that it is the prudent selection of a set of conditioning exercises designed to mobilize the trainees’ cognitive potential that determines the quality of the graduates’ background education. The article demonstrates, among other things, a correlation of the cognitive activity encouraged by the conditioning exercises and the teacher’s personality ratings by the students.