L.G. Pashchenko, associate professor, Ph.D.
O.S. Krasnikova, Ph.D.
J.V. Korichko, associate professor, Ph.D.
A.R. Galeev, Ph.D.
Nizhnevartovsk State University, Nizhnevartovsk

Keywords: optimization, physical education, elementary pupils, physical fitness, mental development, health.

Introduction. The efficiency of the process of physical education in elementary school to a large extent is determined by the state of physical development, physical fitness and health of pupils. At the same time, the deterioration in the quality of the physical education learning process is observed in the conditions of teaching in mechanically formed classes with a random selection of pupils, a large scattering of their level of development and capabilities. This is worsened by the tendency towards increase of mental workload in elementary school, marked by many authors. Disregarding during training the children’s development indicators in elementary school age leads to disruption of the physiological mechanisms of adaptation and contributes to the deterioration of the body's resistance to various diseases.

In order to optimize the learning process on physical education the scientific data on the interactions and combinations between all aspects of the single process of human development at different stages of ontogenesis in view of individual, age and gender differences should be taken into account [4, 6].

Analysis of theoretical and methodical literature indicated the lack of scientific knowledge about the correlation between the motor and mental development, their interaction during ontogenesis and makes it necessary to conduct a study in this area intended to enrich the educational experience for individualization and differentiation of the learning process, aimed at the pupils’ all-round personality development.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the specifics of the correlation between the components of physical and mental development and health indices of elementary pupils and to develop the guidelines to optimize the elementary school process of physical education.

Materials and methods. 448 elementary pupils from Nizhnevartovsk, assigned to the basic medical group for health reasons, were involved in the study. Physical fitness level was defined and differentiated according to the school program tests, the intelligence quotient - by the average values of school performance. The health parameters were studied using theoretical and methodological approaches developed at the Laboratory for Environmental Epidemiology, Academy of Medical Sciences [2]. The influenza and SARS incidence rates, as indicators of the pupils’ resistance to adverse environmental factors, were analyzed.

In order to systematize the data, to build up an empirical distribution and estimate the dependence of the studied traits the initial indicators of health, physical and mental development were grouped using the interval scale. Results were processed using the software Microsoft Office Excel.

 Results and discussion. The correlation of health indicators with the indicators of physical fitness and mental development was studied depending on the grade of the tested pupils. In the analysis of dependences of the physical fitness and school performance indicators of elementary pupils according to their grades (Figure 1) a performance improvement was noted with an increase in the level of physical fitness in grades 1-2. The pupils had a similar increase in the average indicator of physical fitness together with an increase in school performance with the approximate reliability of R2 = 0,719 and 0,918, respectively. For example, first graders with poor performance had their average physical fitness indicators equal to 10.2 points, and those with very good performance - 15.7 points. The third and the fourth graders with both very good and poor performance had higher physical fitness indicators and were characterized by the cuspidal forms of dependence with R2 = 0,958 and R2 = 0,947, respectively. As seen from the differentiated analysis of the interrelation between mental and physical aspects of development, the correlation between these parameters was linear (better performance promoted by physical fitness improvement) only in elementary school (1-2 grades).

As seen from the study of the correlation between the health and physical fitness indicators of elementary pupils, first and second graders are characterized by a linear form of dependency where an increase in physical fitness level promotes a decrease in the disease incidence with the reliability approximation of R2 = 0,91 and 0,98 respectively. In the third grade the dependency becomes parabolic approximating in the polynomial dependency of the 2^nd degree with the reliability of R2 = 0,99 and remains so in the fourth grade (R2 = 0,92).

Third and fourth graders have the lowest influenza and SARS rates and the high health index is found in the children with an average physical fitness level, the lowest health indices are typical for pupils in this age group with a very low, low and very high levels of physical fitness.

Thus, with the improvement of physical fitness, children have better resistance to adverse environmental factors only in elementary school (grades 1-2), and already by the 3^rd grade the pupils with higher physical fitness levels would have their health indices lower than in their peers with the average physical fitness level.

The reasons for the health deterioration coupled with the increase in physical fitness levels in third and fourth graders are alternation processes, typical for this age, characterized by instability of mental and physiological mechanisms of the body in terms of their impact on children's health. This fact correlates with the findings of T.V. Russova et al. [5], who had found that with the transition to the secondary pupils with low and high levels of physical and mental development experience a decrease in functional capabilities of the body, accompanied by negative changes in health indices.

Analysis of the interrelation of health and school performance in elementary pupils showed that advanced first and second graders have better health indices and are characterized by the linear relation with the approximate reliability of R2 = 0,87 and R2 = 0,86 respectively.

In third graders the smallest incidence rate was observed among underachieving pupils (61.5 illnesses per 100 people), children with poor and very poor school performance had higher values of this parameter (88.9 and 83.3 respectively), as well as their peers with good and very good school performance (81.8 and 94.6), but the mathematical processing did not show any correlation between these parameters (R² = 0,26). In the third and fourth grades the correlation was not found between school performance and health index (R² = 0,36), a weak relation was detected between academic performance and incidence of disease with the approximate reliability by the 2^nd degree polynomial relation R² = 0,44.

According to the analysis of the correlation between the incidence rate and school performance of elementary pupils, the best health indices were observed in more advanced pupils only in the early phases of elementary education. However, the correlation between the incidence rate and the school performance was not found in fourth graders by the end of this period due to a significant increase and extension of knowledge and skills improvement.

Based on the findings, we have developed guidelines on optimization of the process of physical education in elementary school. [3] First of all, the content of the teaching material in the area of "Physical Education" was differentiated into three blocks: motor, intellectual and health-improving.

The content of the motor block includes techniques of formation of motor skills and development of physical qualities, presented in the program material on physical education for elementary pupils. The technological standard of physical education for 1-4 graders, proposed by S.V. Barbashov, laid the basis of the intellectual and health-improving blocks [1].

At the optimum ratio of physical and mental development and health indices of elementary pupils, it is recommended to use as the substantive content of the lessons the equivalent ratio of the volume of educational aids of the motor, intellectual and health-improving blocks. In case of a discrepancy between the initial state of the development components and the optimal one, the educational load for each block should be variated. The motor block can be strengthened by increasing the intensity and the use of aids, as well as by including of various motor actions in the educational process. The impact of the intellectual block increases due to the replenishment of the educational material with theoretical knowledge in the field of physical education, which requires in-depth understanding (especially in the third and fourth grades) and reproduction, including in the form of homework. The health-improving block can be increased, both through expanded use of practical means of health and fitness orientation and via health-improving theoretical knowledge.

Conclusions. The proposed approach differs from the conventional one with regards to its innovative orientation. In order to optimize the process of physical education of elementary pupils their individual characteristics need to be taken into account, such as: level of physical and mental development, which contributes to the most effective solution of health problems that are a priority in the training of the younger generation, and makes it possible to adjust the content and volume of techniques and methods applied at physical education lessons in compliance with the developmental age rates of pupils, facilitating the protection and promotion of health.

References

1. Barbashov, S.V. Theoretical and methodological foundations of the personality-centered technology of physical culture education of schoolchildren: doctoral thesis (Hab.) / S.V. Barbashov; SibSAPC. - Omsk, 2000 - 390 P. (In Russian)
2. Kovalenko, V.S. Methodological approaches to the elaboration of the ecological health program for children (guidelines) / V.S. Kovalenko, K.A. Pokhis, K.M. Sergeeva, T.L. Popova. - St. Petersburg: Viktorita, 1997. - P. 62-64. (In Russian)
3. Pashchenko, L.G. Harmonization of physical and mental development of junior schoolchildren during physical culture education: Ph.D. thesis / L.G. Pashchenko; SibSAPhC. - Omsk, 2000. - 257 P. (In Russian)            
4. Revenko, E.M. The ratio of motor and mental abilities of students / E.M. Revenko, V.A. Sal’nikov // Teoriya i praktika fizicheskoy kul’tury. - 2008. - № 11. - P. 24-30. (In Russian)
5. Russova, T.V. Health status of elementary pupils with various levels of mental and physical development / T.V. Russova, L.A. Zhdanova, R.R. Shilyaeva // Shkola zdorov'ya. - 1996. - № 2. - P. 5-12. (In Russian)
6. Strelkov, V.I. Motor prototypes of mental abilities in personal education / V.I. Strelkov // Fizicheskaya kul’tura: vospitanie, obrazovanie, trenirovka. – 2004. – № 4. – P. 10–12. (In Russian)

Corresponding author: kaa_03@mail.ru