T.I. Shukshina, pro-rector for research, professor, Dr.Hab.
P.V. Zamkin, Ph.D.
V.V. Miroshkin, Ph.D.
Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evsev'ev, Saransk

Key words: scientific research, faculty of physical culture, pedagogical institute, scientific achievements.

Abstract. The faculty of physical culture of Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evsev'ev is not only the educational, but the major innovative scientific and methodical center. It has a unique opportunity in the Republic of Mordovia to conduct researches in the field of physical culture and sport and implement the results in the educational and training processes. The faculty's scientific infrastructure is integrated with the innovative divisions of the institute, that has a positive effect on the level of research activities and their results. The key area of research at the faculty is promoting a healthy lifestyle among young people during physical education classes and mastering the basics of life safety. Its main purpose is to stimulate training of future specialists for professional health-protecting activity. Within this framework 5 projects of the federal target program “Scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel of the innovative Russia in 2009 – 2013” and a project of the State university assignments have been accomplished, and the researches in the framework of the program on the strategic development of Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute for 2012 – 2016 are being carried out. The most important part of the dynamic research system at the faculty of physical culture is student science presented by 11 student scientific and research associations involving more than 100 students. The findings of the research activities of teachers, postgraduate and undergraduate students of the faculty are being actively implemented in the educational process of the institute. The faculty has extensive scientific relations with the leading Russian universities and institutes, and the All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute of physical culture. Many of its graduates are teaching at the leading universities of the Russian Federation. As a scientific and methodological center of the region, the faculty is especially demanded by the educational and sport institutions of the Republic of Mordovia.

The faculty of physical culture of Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evsev'ev is not only the educational, but the major innovative scientific and methodical center. It has a unique opportunity in the Republic of Mordovia to conduct researches in the field of physical culture and sport and implement the results in the educational and training processes [1]. The faculty's scientific infrastructure is integrated with the research and material and technical base of the CUC "Mordovian basic teacher's training center", the REC "Humanities and Education" and "Education in the field of Natural Sciences", a network of research laboratories of the university. So its employees can be involved in the development of various aspects of problems, directly or indirectly related to physical education and sports training of personnel.

The key area of research on the faculty is promoting a healthy lifestyle among children and teenagers during physical education classes and mastering the basics of life safety. Its main purpose is to stimulate the training of future specialists for professional health-protecting activity. In this area, an important role is played by the research and development of theoretical and methodological fundamentals of training in the sphere of physical culture and sport, held within the framework of the project “Theoretical, methodological and medical-biological bases of training in the field of physical culture and sport in a pedagogical university” of the Program for strategic development of Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute in 2012 – 2016. The efficiency of the work done can be evaluated by the results obtained. In 2013 the members of the research team have prepared 3 monographs, 4 issues of collected papers, 1 textbook, 3 methodological tutorials, and more than 100 scientific papers including those published in scientific journals included in the Web of Science and Scopus systems, 12 papers in the journals recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation, etc.

The teachers, postgraduate and undergraduate students of the faculty of physical culture actively participated in the Federal target program “Scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel of innovative Russia in 2009 – 2013”, within which 5 major projects were fulfilled. Within the framework of the last project, “Psycho-pedagogical support of development of self-regulation of a subject of sports activity” (completed in 2013), the research team, headed by young scientist, Ph.D. in psychology L.G. Maydokina, designed and implemented a model for psycho-pedagogical support of development of self-regulation of a subject of sports activity. The model is aimed at the qualitative development of self-regulation, the successful training and implementation of personal sport potential. The research activities made it possible to specify the nature and content of the concept of “psycho-pedagogical support of development of self-regulation of a subject of sports activity”, determine its methodological fundamentals, highlight and justify the substantial blocks of the model, reveal their structural relationships, develop and modify the diagnostic tools for investigating the self-regulation of a subject of sports activity [2]. During the last year only the members of the research group have prepared a monograph, a methodological tutorial, educational and methodological program, additional educational program and 3 papers in the journals recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation.

The teaching staff, postgraduate and undergraduate students of the faculty regularly participate in the interfaculty and interdepartmental researches on various aspects of improvement of individual physical and sports fitness [3]. Within the framework of the State university assignment in 2013, the project “Study of strategies to achieve the psychological safety of a subject of sports activity” has been fulfilled in collaboration with the department of psychology. It resulted in the developed concept of ensuring psychological safety during sports activity. The concept is based on the subject-oriented preventive and developmental strategies in a specially organized training process, which remain stable during competitions and prevent the impact of psychological threats. In the course of pilot research, the domestic and foreign trends in the experimental study of psychological safety in sports were identified and summarized; the theoretical and methodological, as well as technological fundamentals of ensuring psychological safety of a subject of sports activity were developed and tested; the theoretical knowledge of psychological factors, conditions, patterns and mechanisms that influence the level of psychological safety of athletes was expanded; new scientific data on the emotional and intellectual elements which make up a variety of threats to the psychological safety of a subject of sports activity were obtained; strategies of preventing psychological threats and ensuring psychological safety of an athlete were developed; new ways of development of the psychological basis of training to ensure psychological safety in sports activity on the basis of subject-oriented preventive and developmental strategies were proposed and tested. The results were the prepared monograph, textbook, paper in a foreign journal registered in the Scopus database, 6 papers in the journals recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation, and 12 papers in proceedings of conferences; as well as the conducted scholar school for young scientists.

The graduates of the faculty, postgraduate students D.G. Nizhegorodov (twofold Olympic medal winner) and S.V. Bakulin (World Champion in race walking, 2011), took part in the project “Research of strategies of training a cultural efficient person in the modern educational environment” being carried out at the department of pedagogics within the framework of the institute’s State assignment.

The most important element of the dynamic system of research work is student science, presented by student scientific and research associations [4]. Currently there are 2 students’ scientific circles at the faculty, namely “Psychological and pedagogical support of sports activity” and “Modern problems of forming a personality with a secure behavior type”, and 9 research groups, namely “Socio-hygienic issues of sports activity”; “Medico-biological aspects of development of reserve capabilities of athletes with various qualifications”; “Theoretical and methodological foundations of individual constitutional approach to body’s adaptation to physical loads”; “Ecology of physical culture and sports activity”; “Basic and new types of physical culture and sports”; “Theoretical and methodological foundations of physical education and sport”; “Class and extracurricular training in martial arts in a secondary school”; “Modern problems of development of mass sports tourism in the Republic of Mordovia”; “Theoretical and methodological foundations of skiing in the training of specialists in physical culture”. In total, more than 100 students of the faculty are engaged in research work in these circles and groups. The results of students’ research carried out in 2013 were published in 64 papers, and reported at 16 international, 9 All-Russian, and 5 regional conferences, seminars and forums. The All-Russia student theoretical and practical online conference “Actual problems of physical culture and university sport today” initiated by the student scientific elite of the faculty was especially popular among the young people of the institute.

The findings of the teachers, postgraduate and undergraduate students of the faculty are being actively implemented in the educational process of the institute. For example, the latest developments were embodied in the following new additional educational programs: “Technique of gymnastic exercises”; “Medical and biological fundamentals of life safety”; “Development and correction of students’ physical qualities by means of athletics”; “Methodological features of applying physical exercises and massage at various pathologies”; “Mental conditioning in sport”; “Sports and recreation activities in a health camp”; “Techniques and methods of physical education”, and so on. Now bachelors and masters can use these programs to improve their competences essential for physical education teachers and sports coaches.

The academic life of the faculty extends beyond the institute. Today, the faculty has extensive scientific relations with various institutions: Moscow City Pedagogical University, All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Physical Culture (Moscow), Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (St. Petersburg), and others. Many graduates of the institute are teachers at leading universities and institutes in Russia. As a scientific and methodological center of the region, the faculty is particularly demanded by the educational institutions of the Republic of Mordovia. For example, in 2013 several workshops and seminars for teachers of Mordovia were held at the faculty, such as “The specifics of work of physical education teachers in modern conditions”, “Modern technologies of physical education in the educational institutions of various types”, “Traditional and modern methods of rehabilitation of athletes in different sports”. The following master classes were carried out: “Prevention of scoliosis and other disorders of the musculoskeletal system of primary school children by means of physical education”; “Methodological features of physical training of adolescents with disorders in the musculoskeletal system in a special medical group”, and so on.

All in all, thanks to the existing faculty research traditions, research and development capabilities today we can outline new goals for creative scientific research in the sphere of physical culture and sport.

References

1. Kadakin, V.V. Innovation processes in higher education (from the experience of Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evsev'ev) / V.V. Kadakin // Gumanitarnye nauki i obrazovanie. – 2012. – № 2 (10). – P. 9–12. (In Russian)
2. Maydokina, L.G. The content of the areas of psycho-pedagogical support of development of self-regulation of a subject of sports activity / L.G. Maydokina, O.V. Kudashkina // Gumanitarnye nauki i obrazovanie. – 2013. – № 2 (14). – P. 50–54. (In Russian)
3. Shubina, O.S. On the activity of the scientific and educational center "Natural Science Education" / O.S. Shubina, N.A. Mel'nikova // Gumanitarnye nauki i obrazovanie. – 2012. – № 2 (10). – P. 51–53. (In Russian)
4. Shukshina, T.I. Development of the system of research and project activity of students in a multilevel system of higher pedagogical education / T.I. Shukshina, P.V. Zamkin, I.I. Parvatova   // Gumanitarnye nauki i obrazovanie. – 2013. – № 4 (16). – P. 84–89. (In Russian)

Corresponding author: tishukshina@yandex.ru