O.A. Safonova
St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, St. Petersburg

Keywords: female students, physical training, self-reliant training model, special physical practices, motor qualities, civil engineering disciplines.

Background. The academic Physical Education (PE) discipline is presently the only one academic discipline designed to protect and improve the students’ health and develop physical, mental and personality qualities critical for success in professional careers [2]. This academic discipline is regulated by the relevant Federal Education Standard and comprises an integral part of the academic educational service. One of the key requirements to the self-reliant training systems is that the intensity of the practices shall be reasonably and controllably increased, with the training process being systemic and duly individualized by the teacher in view of individual fitness indices [1, 2]. PE practices are known to be effective only when they are systemic and reasonably habitual. Female group trainers shall design the PE service with due consideration for the gender specifics, physical development rates and psychophysical aspects of the physical fitness to successfully customize the practices to the individual fitness and progress paths based on the individual PE records.

Objective of the study was to assess benefits of a self-reliant focused academic physical education model in application to female students of a civil engineering university.

Methods and structure of the study. The new physical training model was designed to give a top priority to the self-reliant academic physical education methods and tools customizable by the trainer to the actual physical fitness indices of the trainees.

At the preliminary stage for the self-reliant practices, the students were familiarized with the practices and execution techniques. The self-reliant academic physical education model was designed to secure due comfort and regularity of the trainings. The model is customizable versus the progress tests and wellbeing self-rating records including the physical progress rates, wellbeing rates, pre- and post-training heart rates, menstrual cycle days and pre- and post-training feel rates. A special emphasis in the physical education process design was given to the professionally important motor qualities of the Architecture and Civil Engineering university (female) students including the flexibility and endurance. The self-reliant PE practices were run 2-3 times a week, with the physical workloads customized to the individual physical fitness rates of the students. The self-reliant PE process was started from the endurance jogging followed by a set of dynamic flexibility training exercises. The latter were started from the minor muscle one-way flexions followed by series of static 20-30s exercises.

The endurance training program was based on the Cooper Walking and Jogging Combining System. The track and field endurance training component was duly individualized versus the individual adaptation process records including the HR variability data. The HR was fixed in the first 10s upon completion of each training session since HR is known to rapidly fall at the very start of a rehabilitation period [3].

The workloads were classified as little, mean and high when the HR varied under 120, within 120-160 and above 160 beats per min, respectively [4], with the sagging HR as a result of the systemic controlled-intensity training process considered the key physical fitness progress indicator. First two weeks were dominated by controlled walking with fixed walk times and distances to facilitate the adaptation process. The physical workload was increased in a phased manner with physical progress, with intensive jogging (with the HR coming to 140-150 beats per min) combined with rehabilitative walking. The workload was revised every 4 weeks so as to keep it duly customized to the HR recovery rates and the training records including the km/ week and km/ month. The individual jogging workload was controlled and rated using NIKE+ and Running mobile application toolkits to fix and analyze the run time, distance and rest breaks.

The flexibility building practices included 5 active and 5 passive flexibility exercises focused on joints and elasticity of some muscle groups, with every exercise taking 15-40s in every series. Active flexibility exercises were dominated by the repeated dynamic low-amplitude growing-intensity practices, with the training process facilitated by special supports including gymnastic walls and benches, plus partner-assisted practices. The training process was closely controlled and monitored by the trainer with consideration for the individual training records.

The self-reliant focused academic physical education model testing experiment was run at the sport base of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering in the academic year of 2017-18. The female student sample was split up into a Reference Group (RG) and Experimental Group (EG), with the physical fitness and functionality of the sample tested by 500m runs, standing bends forward on a gymnastic bench and the Harvard Step Test: see Figures 1-3.

Study findings and discussion. Having analyzed the pre- versus post-experimental test data, we found that:

– The 500m run test rates were 9s better in EG versus RG (116±2.7 vs. 125±8.8, respectively), with the difference rated statistically significant (p≤0.05);

Figure 1. EG versus RG: pre- versus post-experimental 500m run test rates

– The flexibility test rates were 6cm better in EG versus RG (14±2.6 versus 8±1cm, respectively), with the difference rated statistically significant (p≤0.05); and

Figure 2. EG versus RG: pre- versus post-experimental flexibility test rates

– The Harvard Step Test rates were 5.2 points better in EG versus RG (65.2±3.2 versus 57±5.6 points, respectively), with the difference rated statistically significant (p≤0.05).

Figure 3. EG versus RG: pre- versus post-experimental Harvard Step Test rates

Conclusion. The RG showed an insignificant progress in the pre- versus post-experimental physical fitness and functionality rating tests. The self-reliant academic physical education model was found beneficial as verified by the significant progress of EG versus RG in the physical fitness and functionality tests, with improvements in the musculoskeletal flexibility test rates and mobility statistics. The progress was particularly facilitated by the special off-class self-reliant academic physical practices.

References

1. Bakeshin K.P. Osobennosti formirovaniya i proyavleniya samostoyatelnosti u studentov stroitelnogo profilya v uchebno-trenirovochnom protsesse (na primere boksa) [Self-reliant education and training style formation and manifestations: case study of boxing groups at Civil Engineering University]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2017, no. 11, pp. 36–38.
2. Volkov K.N. Psikhologi o pedagogicheskikh problemakh [Psychologists on problems of education]. Moscow: Prosveshchenie publ., 1981, pp. 27–42.
3. Kukharev N V. Formirovanie umstvennoy samostoyatelnosti [Teaching mental independence]. Minsk: Narodnaya asveta publ., 1972, P. 25.
4. Malinovsky S.V. Modelirovanie takticheskogo myshleniya sportsmena [Modeling athlete’s tactical thinking]. Moscow: Fizkultura i sport publ., 1981, 192 p.

Corresponding author: 812safonov@yandex.ru

Abstract

Presently the national educational system takes efforts to reform the professional specialist training service including the academic physical education and sport service system. The reform has resulted in the class physical training practices cut down to 72 hours, with the valid Physical Education curriculum dominated (328 hours) by the elective sport courses with a special priority to the self-reliant physical trainings. The study analyzes the self-reliant academic physical educational service program design and content for students of a civil engineering university.

A special emphasis in the physical education process design was given to the professionally important motor qualities of the civil engineering university (female) students including the flexibility and endurance. The students of the civil engineering university split up into a Reference Group (RG) and Experimental Group (EG) were sampled for the training model piloting experiment in the 2017-18 academic year. The self-reliant academic physical education model was designed to secure due comfort and regularity of the trainings. The model is customizable versus the progress tests and wellbeing self-rating records including physical progress rates, wellbeing rates, pre- and post-training heart rates, menstrual cycle days and pre- and post-training feel rates.

The self-reliant academic physical education model was found beneficial as verified by the meaningful progress of EG versus RG in the physical fitness and functional fitness tests, with improvements in the musculoskeletal flexibility test rates and mobility statistics. The progress was particularly facilitated by the special off-class self-reliant academic physical practices.