Dr. Pol., Professor O.N. Polukhin¹
Dr.Hab., Professor V.N. Irkhin¹
PhD, Associate Professor I.N. Nikulin¹
PhD, Associate Professor A.V. Voronkov¹
Postgraduate Y.A. Zagoruiko^1
1Belgorod State National Research University, Belgorod

Keywords: incentives system, university students, GTO Complex.

Background. Presently the national universities are looking for the most efficient ways to lure students into the physical education system with a special priority to the GTO Complex trainings and tests [1, 3]. Belgorod State National Research University has been successful in finding solution to this socio-educational problem on a humanistic basis, with a special emphasis on the motivational rather than enforcement tools as recommended by the modern pedagogical stimulation theory and practice [5]. Benefits of the Belgorod State National Research University incentives system have been proved, among other things, by the competitive accomplishments of the university athletes in a few federal events. The BSNRU team is a two-time champion of the Federal GTO Complex Festival of 2018 (Belgorod) and 2019 (Chelyabinsk) [2]. The 2020 GTO Complex Champions Festival "GTO Games" in Kislovodsk was won by the Belgorod Oblast team, with four out of six team members recruited at Belgorod State National Research University.

Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of the Belgorod State National Research University academic incentives system for the GTO Complex trainings and tests.

Methods and structure of the study. The study was run in 2015-2020 at Belgorod State National Research University using analyses of the relevant research literature; questionnaire surveys; physical fitness tests for the GTO qualifications; and the incentives system piloting experiment; with the survey data processed by a standard mathematical statistics toolkit; and with more than 12,000 Belgorod State National Research University students sampled for the study.

Results and discussion. A foundation for the academic incentives system for the GTO complex trainings and test system was laid by the 2015 "Statute of incentives for the Belgorod State National Research University student and faculty leaders of the GTO Complex tests”. The Statute offers a certificate of honor for the GTO Gold Badge winners; potential special increased academic scholarships; plus extra points and automatic high examination points in the academic Physical Education discipline for the GTO badge winners. The incentives system was put under control of the newly established GTO Complex Test Center of Belgorod State National Research University.

One of the key incentives are competitions formatted as university festivals including two stages, with the first stage offering mass scheduled GTO Complex tests. Individual points scored in the tests are fixed and added to the "piggy bank" of the relevant institute. Since 2018, the points are scored as provided by the "Practical Recommendations for the Physical Education and Sports Event Organizations in the Federal GTO Complex System" approved by the Minister of Sports Order of 09.21.2018 [4]. The GTO scoring system is rather beneficial for students for the following reasons: (1) the ones who are unfit for the GTO badges may still score points in competitions and tests; and (2) the academic sports leaders who are fit better than required by the GTO Gold Badge test standards are still interested to score as high as possible for the academic credits. Total points scored by competitors from some institute are averaged for the number of full-time competitors. This means that the incentives system offers the moral and psychological and material incentives modules.

As was found by the study, the key role is played by the moral and psychological incentives including: social appreciation of the GTO Complex tests; physical and mental health improvement and physical fitness benefits of the GTO Complex tests and trainings; GTO awards: badges, certificates of honor for the GTO Gold Badge winners; academic progress opportunities – since the scores are accounted by the elective academic physical education and sports disciplines as credits; competitions; role models provided by the academic sports leaders, champions and trainers successful in the GTO Complex system; public appreciation; trust; interest; emotional motivations for the mass competitions, GTO festivals with their great emotional climate;  etc. And the material incentives module includes: potential increments to the academic scholarships; and extra points scored for the academic Physical Education discipline with automatic high credits in the Physical Education tests. As demonstrated by the six-year academic incentives system piloting experiment, the students’ interest in the GTO Complex trainings and tests has grown significantly.

In December 2020, we run an online questionnaire survey of the Belgorod State National Research University students (n=4408) [3]. 70% of the sample was found to enjoy the GTO Complex events; and 90% satisfied with the GTO event organization and services. It should be mentioned that the yearly GTO Complex events are attended by more than 5,000 people that make up above 40% of the total full-time student population. For the last year, 1233 students won GTO badges. The questionnaire survey found the GTO competitions being of special interest for the sample. Thus competing in the annual Belgorod State National Research University GTO Champions Finals are at least 160 people with many more enthusiastically supporting them.

Conclusion. The study data and analyses found the academic incentive system for the GTO Complex trainings and tests having the following benefits:

• Interest- and needs-specific differentiated services with the students categorized into: “sporting” group, with the high intrinsic motivations for physical education, partially driven by the social appreciation; "players" group with the high success motivations and a special priority for competitions; “nihilists” group, with the high intrinsic physical education motivations dominated by the individual physical progress agendas; and “formalists” group, with the high failure avoidance motivations, dominated by the need for peer appreciation and academic progress;

• Incentives are recommended being applied on an integrated rather than specific basis;

• The combined incentives should be complemented by motivational situations/ events including competitions, festivals, GTO Champions finals, etc;

• Universities are recommended to build up their special motivational environments/ incentives systems withing the relevant material, technical, human resourcing, servicing, emotional, competitive, research and other specific environments and provisions.

References

1. Voronkov A.V., Nikulin I.N., Goncharuk Y.A. et al. Ways to increase effectiveness of GTO complex implementation in educational organization. Development of physical education and sports in context of human self-realization in modern socio-economic conditions. Proc. national research-practical conference with international participation. Lipetsk: LSPU n.a. P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky publ., 2017. pp. 34-37.
2. Voronkov A.V., Brazhnik E.A., Zagoruiko Yu.A., Shcherbin D.V. Peculiarities of selection of students for all-round GTO complex tests. Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury. 2020. No.10. pp. 58-60.
3. Are you interested in GTO complex. [Electronic resource] VKontakte page of RPCSC GTO in National Research University "BelSU". Available at: https://vk.com/gtobsu?z=photo-153316360_457240834/album-153316360_00/rev
4. Methodical recommendations for organization of physical education events and sports events of Russian physical culture and sports complex "Ready for Labor and Defense" (GTO). [Electronic resource]: Approved by the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation 21.09.2018. Federal portal "GTO.RU". Available at: https://www.gto.ru/files/uploads/documents/5cb825f89463e.pdf
5. Sobyanin F.I., Skabuk A.V., Voronkov A.V., Peresypkin A.P. Development of basic ideologies of GTO complex. Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury. 2020. No. 8. pp. 104-107.
6. Kharisov I.D., Nikulin I.N., Voronkov A.V., Malakhov V.A. Involvement of Students in All-Russian Project «From Student Credit to GTO Badge». Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kultury. 2020. No. 1. pp. 56-57.

Corresponding author: nikulin_i@bsu.edu.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of the Belgorod State National Research University academic incentives system for the GTO Complex trainings and tests.

Methods and structure of the study. The study was run in 2015-2020 at Belgorod State National Research University using analyses of the relevant research literature; questionnaire surveys; physical fitness tests for the GTO qualifications; and the incentives system piloting experiment; with the survey data processed by a standard mathematical statistics toolkit; and with more than 12,000 Belgorod State National Research University students sampled for the study.

Results and discussion. The study found that the academic incentives system for the GTO Complex trainings and tests should include (1) moral and psychological and (2) material incentives modules, with the leading role played by the moral and psychological one that include: social appreciation of the GTO Complex trainings and tests; personal physical and mental health improvement agenda in the GTO progress context; awards; progress opportunities; competitiveness; role models provided by the academic sports leaders; communal appreciation; trust; interest; and emotional motivations.