A.N. Savel’eva, postgraduate
Tchaikovsky state institute of physical culture, Tchaikovsky         

Key words: higher education, sport, students, dragon boat paddling, questionnaire.

Introduction. Each epoch gives rise to its type of outlook, new knowledge, new life experience, continuously changing our world view on a man and his place in it. Over the past three centuries the civilization has reached an amazing power and we need a variety of skills and the rational issues produced my modern science to use it to the benefit of people. The social life spheres that are directly related to education, upbringing and formation of man as a personality with its socialization take on special significance [1].

The problem of socialization of rising young people for their successful social adaptation and all-round development has always been relevant. «Socialization is a method society needs to maintain social balance and control social roles, that is used in the course of human formation and development – all his conscious life long socialization.  Internal assessment criteria, systems of relations, vital activity and other objects of the social field which a personality belongs to and which implements the behavior and activities are formed in the process of socialization. The system of personality’s internal relations is formed on the basis of their concepts which specify a coordinate system in which the individual puts all their most important and significant events. This system includes internal and external instances, dynamical in time and forming integrity in which they can be compared, contradict or coincide. Family, education and training systems, cultural objects, circle of personal and collective dialogue, mass media, public formations, labour collectives, business environment, official bodies, local communities and their self-government institutions, other institutions of civil society” are the basic agents of socialization [9].

In other words, personality socialization in the modern conditions of social development influences human life activity as a whole, defining its orientation, system of values and relations.

The purpose of the study was to reveal the effect of dragon boat paddling classes on the student’s personality socialization.

Scientists note that higher education system is the primary institution of socialization, where education and training represent a single process intended to train a highly educated, erudite, physically and culturally developed person. Socialization of higher school students essentially differs from the similar process in a comprehensive school. Entering high school students find themselves in a new educational environment. Most of them have serious difficulties within the adaptation period. These difficulties have a negative impact on the successful mastering of educational programs, interaction with co-students and teachers, as a whole without causing any discomfort from the training at higher school. Difficulties are not eliminated without a purposeful work on socialization of students learning with the transition to higher rates, but tend to accumulate, leading to various negative consequences (psychological breakdown, abandonment studies, etc.). On the other hand, without strong moral reference points, in the absence of skills it is difficult to plan your course of life and professional life, to assert personal views precisely which socialization process in the university is responsible for, its graduates are hardly oriented in socio-economic environment and is highly likely to add to marginal and possibly criminal environment [1].

The process of socialization as an active development of the personality is historically and culturally specified. In the era of science and technology it acquires specific features: criteria of social maturity change and become more complicated, the complication in social institutions occurs, along with changes in the form of education, the relationship between generations, etc. [5]. The increase of the value of life, education, culture, health, human individuality is increasingly considered as criteria of social progress of society [7]. In this regard, in the ХХI century the importance of culture, including physical culture, is growing.

In higher education, physical culture is a special phenomenon. While working for the human biological nature, physical culture promotes formation of the spiritual sphere. Therefore, like any other kind of culture, physical culture plays a significant role in the personality development. It is well known that three main components of the structure of personality are functional mechanisms of mentality, experience of individual and personality traits can develop successfully while an individual is mastering physical culture [1].

An important fact in the modern world is the growing awareness of physical education as a part of the general culture of the individual and society. However, along with the generally accepted and understandable for the majority of people phenomenon of physical culture the phenomenon of sport arises and is developing acquiring an independent status. Proceeding from the experience of sociohistorical development, physical culture and sport were developing almost simultaneously, enriching each other. However, initially, each of them had distinctive features and gradually occupied its own niche in the social life of society.

Sport as an important social phenomenon permeates all levels of modern society, providing a broad impact on the main areas of social life. It affects ethnic relations, business life, social status, creates fashion, ethical values, and people’s way of life [4].

Sociological surveys of the population, especially young people doing sports show that sport generates initial understanding of life and the world. In sport such important values for a modern society as achievement motivation, accomplishment, aspiration to be the first, to win not only an opponent but oneself are most remarkably shown [3].

Training sessions in rowing boats "Dragon" class

Sport occupations are purposeful, organized and usually held in a team. Sport helps people to gain experience of interpersonal relationships, build relationships and interactions with each other and a trainer, other athletes and sports referees. Mutual assistance, demands to each other, high discipline, ability to build upon the team interests, high quality sports labor - all can be trained in sport. A true leader and organizer can be born in sport, since sport models life situations [2].

The value potential of sport enables to solve numerous educational tasks. Thanks to sport activities athlete can endure the difficulties often encountered by a teenager in high school, in a family, in other situations.

The interest in new sports among young people is formed in association with the desire to develop new types of sports activities, try their hand in something new, unexplored and unusual. Therefore, there are more kinds of sports activities which are public, emotional, where attention is paid not only to motor training, but also to the development of personal qualities, where considerable attention is paid to the aesthetic forms of education [6].

Dragon boat paddling is a very dynamic, spectacular and fast growing sport, cultivated in 52 countries of the world, members of international and continental federations. Long-term and monotonous loading practiced in boat racing develops athlete’s steady nervous system and increases fatigue resistance. Boat racing forms volitional mechanisms, facilitates emotional well-being and mental balance. Moreover, mental modeling of the technique of movements made is used in boat racing. Boat racing is a special type of motor activity taking place in two mediums – air and water, in natural waters and in changing weather conditions, which makes it a method of recreation, hardening, increase of stamina and endurance and a method of active relaxation. Overcoming the air and water resistance and performing repetitive cycle of muscle tension, a rower improves his strength and power endurance, develops respiratory muscles, which stimulates increased blood flow in the capillaries and improves tissue breathing. Owning to the effect on all the mechanisms of body’s oxygen supply, paddling is a universal type of aerobics with severe tempering effect. Rhythmic movements and breathing, the effect of solar radiation and aerosols of the water-air stimulate reflex thermoregulatory mechanisms, mobilize immune processes, and improve stress resistance of the body.

Now according to the International Dragon Boat Federation about 50 million people in the world participate in various professional and amateur competitions due to accessibility and democratic nature of this team sport, when rowers in one boat can be of different age, sex and sports training. Opportunity to feel part of a team, feel the team spirit, work together to win and survive failures undoubtedly also contribute to the interest in dragon boat paddling [8].

Methodology of the study. We have developed a questionnaire consisting of 21 questions in order to determine what changes occurred in the social development of the students involved in dragon boat paddling. 20 members of the combined team of Tchaikovsky State Institute of Physical Culture were interrogated.

Results of the study.

The results of the survey were as follows (see table).

Conclusion. As proved by the results of the questionnaire, the introduction of dragon boat paddling classes into the educational process improves students’ socialization. Performance of warm-up exercises pairwise, team participation in psychological trainings and discussion of competitions result in improvement of their communicative skills, prevent reticence, promote their readiness for mutual help, support, collaboration, minimize the fear of being criticized, facilitate their high emotional well-being, make them more optimistic, persistent, determined, responsible and able to be the leader of a group of young people.

Thus, if sports activity is organized properly it is sport that can become a serious and efficient method of formation of social activity of the rising generation.

References

1. Bashirova, S.V. Socialization of students in higher professional institution: abstract of Ph.D. thesis / S.V. Bashirova. Moscow, 2007. – 24 P. (In Russian)
2. Lubysheva, L.I. Sports culture as a comprehensive school subject / L.I. Lubysheva // Fizicheskaya kultura: vospitanie, obrazovanie, trenirovka. - 2004. - № 4. - P. 2-6.  (In Russian)
3. Lubysheva, L.I. The social role of sport of sport in social development and personality socialization / L.I. Lubysheva // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury. - 2001. - № 4. - P. 11-15.  (In Russian)
4. Lubysheva, L.I. Physical and sports culture: essence, correlations and dissociations / L.I. Lubysheva // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury. - 2002. - № 3. - P. 11-14. (In Russian)
5. Milshtein, O.A. Social problems of personality formation in sport: Lecture for students of universities of physical culture / O.A. Milshtein. - Moscow: SCOLIPC, 1980. - 45 P. (In Russian)
6. Milshtein, O.A. Social problems of personality formation in sport / O.A. Milshtein // Lecture for students of higher educational institutions, Moscow, 1980
7. Petrov, A.U. Young people’ health and the quality of further education / A.U. Petrov // Further education. - 2005. - №1. – P.4-8,
8. Smirnov, N.G. Physical culture as a factor of social personality’ evolution in modern Russian society: abstract of Ph.D. thesis / N.G. Smirnov // St.Petersburg, 1995, (In Russian)
9. http://www.rdbf.info/ (In Russian)
10.  http://www.pandia.ru/text/77/107/214.php (In Russian)

Author’s contacts: janne_07@mail.ru