Dr.Med, Associate Professor E.Y. Dyakova¹
V.S. Shchigartsov^1
1National Research State University, Tomsk

Keywords: preschoolers, physical education, test, Efimenko’s method.

Background. Children’s health protection and improvement policies are ranked among the top priorities by the national government [4, 6], with the children’s physical education being viewed as one of the key components of the modern personality development and health improvement process. A healthy child is known to be more active in learning and physical development [1], with a high motor activity being considered both the key developmental prerequisite and driver for the intellectual, emotional and other progress components [2, 5].

It is only logical in this context to explore the ways to improve the physical education process methodologies. We took for the case study the Municipal Autonomous Preschool Institution (MAPI) Kindergarten #13 in the city of Tomsk (referred to hereinafter as the “KG13”). Since 2012, KG13 was used as a test site to pilot the “Birth to School” Education Program by N.E. Veraksa, T.S. Komarova and M.A. Vasilyeva. The Education Program may be described as a government-approved programmatic document spelling out the modern “versatile program integrating the key vectors of the children’s education, development and cultural process since birth to seven years of age”. Acknowledging the Education Program benefits and knowing that the sport assets and equipment of KG13 could support much more ambitious training methods with due contribution from the KR13 staff physical education instructors and creative educators to secure success of any physical education and cultural program, the KG13 management decided to find and apply new physical education method(s) to meet the modern requirements to the preschool physical education and health, with due support from the physical education instructors and families. It was the Theatre of Preschool and Junior Schoolchildren’s Physical and Health Education method by N.N. Efimenko that was chosen and applied as a result.

Objective of the study was to assess benefits of the Theatre of Preschool and Junior Schoolchildren’s Physical and Health Education method by N.N. Efimenko.

Methods and structure of the study. For the study period of September 2015 to April 2016, the physical health progress of the KG13 preschoolers was rated by a variety of tests, the study including the following 3 stages.

Stage 1: Families/ legal custodians of the KG13 children were offered to participate in the children’s health survey in the period of February to March 2015. They were questioned by the questionnaire survey forms to analyse progress of the Education Program and contributions of the KG13 educators and families in the children’s health improvement and morbidity reduction efforts. In the period of April to May 2015, we additionally analysed, on consent of the families/ legal custodians, the formal health records of the subjects to obtain the sickness rating data for the period of 2013 through 2015 based on the following 3 criteria: sickness rate per year; total sick-note days per year; average sick-note days per year.

In September 2015, the preschoolers were subject to initial physical fitness tests to obtain the background data for the study. Subject to the tests were the following two groups of the KG13 children: “Berries” Reference Group and “Bees” Study Group each composed of 15 children of 6-7 years of age. The tests included 10m sprints, shuttle runs, 30-second crunches test, flexibility test, standing long jump test, and the medicine ball throwing test. Generally, the tests were designed in the following 3 stages: initial tests in September 2015, interim tests in December 2015 and final tests in April 2016.

Stage 2: KG13 Study Group was subject to the Theatre of Preschool and Junior Schoolchildren’s Physical and Health Education method by N.N. Efimenko since September 2015 to April 2016.  Prior to the tests, the physical education lessons in Study Group and Reference Group were designed as required by the “Birth to School” Education Program by N.E. Veraksa, T.S. Komarova and M.A. Vasilyeva.

Stage 3: The children’s physical progress under the Education Program was tested by the interim tests in December 2015 and final tests in April 2016.

Study results and discussion

Questionnaire survey of the KG13 preschoolers’ families/ legal custodians

The questionnaire survey of the trainees’ families/ legal custodians showed their belief in the children being sick due to the reportedly low immunity and inadequate physical education in the families. We were concerned to find that only 40% of the people polled were aware of the physical development indicators need to be monitored to track the child’s physical progress; with 49% partially aware and 11% totally unaware of the indicators. The respondents believed that in the kindergarten they should make a special emphasis on the physical education sessions, facilitating psychological climate and sporting/ play grounds and facilities for success of the children’s physical development and health improvement process.

Most of the respondents believed that they know the ways to improve child’s health; 43% said they know them to a degree: and 3% confessed knowing nothing about them. The families reportedly tend to improve children’s health by walking, healthy lifestyles and healthy nutrition including vitamins. Some families give high priority to baths, body tempering and physical exercises. The families’ responses to the question “What do you do to improve child’s health?” were the following: walking, healthy lifestyles, healthy nutrition including vitamins and fruits; baths; garlic, body tempering, physical exercises and good sleep. 84% of the KG13 family respondents appreciated the preschool health improvement and disease prevention system as necessary and beneficial.

Health data and analysis

The KG13 preschoolers’ health reports showed the prevalence of respiratory diseases including infectious ones; followed by parasitic and infectious diseases; and by gastrointestinal diseases in the third place. The formal health records report many children being diagnosed with musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and nasopharynx system disorders; plus a variety of neurotic conditions, allergic reactions and increased blood pressure. Health reports show the numbers of unhealthy children being on the rise due to gastrointestinal, urinogenital, endocrine, musculoskeletal (postural disorders, scoliosis etc.) system diseases.

It should be noted in this context that the modern studies report the numbers of undersized children in the Russian population growing four times for the last decade, and this trend raises concerns in many doctors since body height is considered one of the most important health indicators [3].

Generally, the KG13 health data are in line with the overall Russian trend of the physical development rates sagging for the last decade. This negative trend have forced the physical education, education and health sector specialists to take urgent efforts to develop and test modern theoretically grounded programs and methods to step up the physical culture and education process.

Physical progress tests

In September 2015, the subjects were tested to obtain their initial physical fitness test data. The Study and Reference Groups were found to statistically significantly differ only in the shuttle run test, with the difference maintained over the study period. The interim tests in December 2015 also demonstrated the difference in the shuttle run tests. The tests in April 2016 found a statistically significant progress in the 30-second crunches test in the Study Group versus the Reference one: see Table 1 hereunder.

Table 1. Tomsk KG13 preschoolers’ physical progress test data

Note: *statistically significant difference of the Study Group (SG) vs. Reference Group (RG) data

 It should be emphasised that the both group (and intra-group) test data showed statistically significant improvements in the following tests: sprint, shuttle run, standing long jump and medicine ball throwing tests, with Study Group making the highest progress in the 30-second crunches test.

Conclusion. As verified by the KG13 preschoolers’ physical progress rating tests, the Theatre of Preschool and Junior Schoolchildren’s Physical and Health Education method by N.N. Efimenko was found particularly beneficial for the abdomen muscles strength improvement (tested by the 30-second crunches test). The N.N. Efimenko’s method was also found more beneficial versus the “Birth to School” Education Program in terms of the children’s higher engagement, interest in and dedication to physical exercises, and, as reported by the physical education instructors, the higher motivation helped them better cope with the physical loads and avoid fatigue.

References

1. Antonova L.N. Psikhologicheskie osnovaniya realizatsii zdorovesberegayushchikh tekhnologiy v obrazovatelnykh uchrezhdeniyakh [Psychological bases of implementation of health promotion technologies in educational institutions]. Moscow: MSRU publ., 2004, 100 p.
2. Dyakova E.Y., Zakharova A.N., Lalaeva G.S. Otsenka programmy uskorennogo obucheniya plavaniyu detey mladshego shkolnogo vozrasta [Evaluation of accelerated swimming programs for primary schoolchildren]. Fizicheskaya kultura: vospitanie, obrazovanie, trenirovka, 2014, no. 5, pp. 36-38.
3. Karaseva T.V. Sovremennye aspekty realizatsii zdorovesberegayushchikh tekhnologiy [Modern aspects of implementation of health promotion technologies]. Nachalnaya shkola publ., 2005, p. 75.
4. Dyakova E.Yu., Zakharova A.N. Fiziologicheskie osobennosti adaptatsii pri kombinirovannom podkhode v organizatsii fizicheskogo vospitaniya [Physiological characteristics of adaptation at multi-modal approach in organization of physical education process]. Teoriya i Praktika Fizicheskoy Kultury, 2014, no. 6, pp 46-48.
5. Illarionova A.V., Kapilevich L.V. Osovennosti vnutrimyshechnoy i mezhmyshechnoy koordinatsii pri dosirovanii ulisiy v usloviyakh neustoychivogo ravnovesiya [Distinctive features of intramuscular and intermuscular coordination at power graduation in the context of balance training]. Teoriya i Praktika Fizicheskoy Kultury, 2014, no. 12, pp. 44-46.
6. Karvunls Yu.A., Kapilevich L.V. Sotoyanie i perspektivy razvitiya aktivnogo turizma v molodezhnoy srede Tomsko oblasti [State and prospects of development of active tourism among youth of Tomsk region]. Teoriya i Praktika Fizicheskoy Kultury, 2014, no. 10, pp. 62-65.

Corresponding author: adyakova@yandex.ru; kapil@yandex.ru

Abstract

The study was designed to rate benefits of the Theatre of Preschool and Junior Schoolchildren’s Physical and Health Education method by N.N. Efimenko. Reference Group of the Municipal Autonomous Preschool Institution (MAPI) Kindergarten #13 in Tomsk was trained under the “Birth to School” Education Program by N.E. Veraksa, T.S. Komarova and M.A. Vasilyeva, with the trainees’ progress being rated by the standard set of preschool progress tests including 10m sprints, 30-second crunches test, standing long jump test, and 1-kg medicine ball throwing test.

The Study Group progress for the study period of September 2015 to April 2016 was found significantly better as verified by the 30-s crunches test. As reported by the physical training instructor, Study Group showed more interest in the practices versus that of RG. The children’s health reports showed domination of respiratory system diseases followed by parasitic and infectious diseases and, in the third place, by the allergic and gastrointestinal system diseases. Many children were diagnosed with musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and nasopharynx system disorders. Questionnaire survey of the families/ legal custodians showed their belief in the children being sick due to reportedly low immunity and inadequate physical education in the families. 84% of the respondents appreciated the preschool health improvement and disease prevention system as necessary and beneficial.