PhD, Associate Professor A.N. Konopleva¹
PhD, Associate Professor A.A. Kozhemov¹
M.M. Gairbekov^2
1Kabardino-Balkarian State University n.a. H.M. Berbekov, Nalchik
²Dagestan State University, Makhachkala

Keywords: emotional and volitional progress, physical education, mountaineering sport, elective disciplines, students

Background. Emotional and volitional progress and experience is commonly ranked among the key success factors for the adolescent personality development process [1], conditional on a support and contributions from families, university communities and other factors of influence on the individual progress [3, 4]. Modern physical education and sports tools are ranked among the key willpower and emotionality development methods in the university age [2] including the academic badminton, table tennis and mountaineering sports. Mountaineering sport (MS) is a unique discipline in many aspects since it develops the key physical and logical thinking qualities and skills as well as multiple valuable personality qualities including determination, insistence, success motivations and teamwork skills. Modern mountaineering sport implies a high-intensive physical activity with the utmost mobilization of the individual physical and mental resource for success.

Objective of the study was to rate benefits of the academic optional mountaineering sport for the emotional and volitional progress.

Methods and structure of the study. Sampled for the study were the first-year female students (n=86) of Kabardino-Balkarian State University majoring in the non-sport disciplines and split up into RG1 and RG2 specializing in table tennis and badminton and EG specializing in the mountaineering sport. The emotional and volitional control qualities were rated by the Spielberger-Andreev State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (reactive and personality anxiety elements); Nervous-mental Stress Tolerance and De-adaptation Risk Test ‘Forecast’; WAM (wellbeing, activity, mood) test; N.Y. Stambulova Volitional Qualities test; M.V. Chumakov Personality Volitional Qualities test; and I.P. Shkuratova Fears Classifier questionnaire survey. The sample was tested for an academic year when it attended the optional sport groups 2 times a week under the academic physical education and sports curricula plus group trainings 2 times a week and competed in the academic tournaments.

Results and discussion. The above tests were used to rate the mountaineering group progress versus the other groups in the emotional and volitional control qualities. Thus the pre-experimental nervous-mental control tests rated the RG1, RG2 and EG with 27.3, 29.1 and 28.8 points, respectively i.e. varying within the moderate range with some growth of the sensitivity to the stressors. The post-experimental nervous-mental control tests rated the RG1, RG2 and EG with 25.2, 24.7 and 17.1 points, respectively, with the progress of the EG versus RG1/2 found significant (р<0.05).

The pre- versus post-experimental Spielberger-Andreev Anxiety tests showed the anxiety rates dropping in the RG1 and RG 2 from 32.1 to 31.5 and 30.6 to 30.2 points, respectively (insignificant progress with р>0.05) versus the EG significant (р<0.05) progress from 31.7 to 28.7 points.

The pre-experimental wellbeing tests rated the RG1, RG2 and EG with 24.2, 23.1 and 22.7 points within the moderate range. The post-experimental wellbeing tests rated the RG1, RG2 and EG progress at 14.7%, 10.1% and 13.8%, respectively – that was interpreted as indicative of the table tennis and mountaineering sport being particularly beneficial for wellbeing of the sample.

The pre-experimental WAM tests rated the RG1, RG2 and EG with 24.3, 23.2 and 23.1 points versus the post-experimental tests that yielded 28.7, 26.5 and 26.7 points, respectively – that means significant progress (р<0.05) in the whole sample, albeit the highest progress was made by the badminton and MS groups. It may be due to the fact that the badminton, table tennis and mountaineering practices were very emotional and competitive and requiring high volitional efforts for success [5, 6].

The pre-experimental Stambulova/ Chumakova volitional qualities tests rated the RG1, RG2 and EG with 21.5, 22.2 and 21.3 points, respectively, with the differences found insignificant (р>0.05) – versus the post-experimental tests that yielded 23.9, 24.2 and 33.7 points, respectively. On the whole, the RG1 was tested reasonably responsible albeit passive, uncertain, inclined to doubts, gentle, inactive and easily distracted. RG2 was tested with somewhat higher insistence and EG with the higher independence rates. Only EG made significant progress, with the volitional qualities tested to significantly (р<0.05) improve by as much as 20.8 points versus the RG1 and RG2 progresses of 2.8 and 3.1 points (р>0.05), respectively.

The I.P. Shkuratova Fears Classifier questionnaire survey rated the key fears in the sample. Ranked the highest were the fear of condemnation or ridicule, fear of height, fear of medical procedures and fear of animals. Only the EG was tested with progress in the post- versus pre-experimental fears test rates. The progress may be due to the mountaineering-sport-specific performance that cultivates responsibility, independence, endurance, patience, stress-tolerance, determination, teamwork skills, discipline, initiative, leadership qualities, decisiveness, decision-making, activity, attentiveness and purposefulness.

Conclusion. The emotional and volitional progress tests showed benefits of the optional mountaineering sport model within the academic physical education service due to the high emotionality of the sport discipline and versatility of the physical practices. On the whole the academic optional badminton, table tennis and mountaineering sport disciplines with reasonable competitive schedules were found to facilitate progress in the teamwork skills, responsibility and determination on the positive psychological background – as verified by progress in the wellbeing, activity and mood tests. It should be emphasized that only the mountaineering sport group was tested with the highest progress in the volitional qualities test. The study showed benefits of the academic optional mountaineering sport for the emotional and volitional progress of the students.

References

1. Ayvazova E.S. Formirovanie nravstvenno-volevoy sfery studentov sredstvami fizicheskoy kultury [Formation of moral-volitional sphere of students using physical education]. PhD diss. abstr.. Krasnodar: IP Solodovnikova A.N. publ., 2013. 25 p.
2. Gurev S.V. Vliyanie zanyatiy sportom na volevuyu sferu lichnosti [Effect of sports practices on volitional sphere of man]. NovaInfo.Ru. 2018. no.77. pp. 324-327.
3. Dorofeevskaya E.I., Klemes V.S. Issledovanie emotsionalnoy sfery studentov vuza [Study of emotional sphere of university students]. Concept. 2017. v. 39. pp. 2291–2295. Available at: http://e-koncept.ru/2017/970785.htm.
4. Craig G. Psikhologiya razvitiya [Developmental Psychology]. Transl. from Engl.. Piter publ., 2001. 992 p.
5. Chumakov M.V. Diagnostika volevykh osobennostey lichnosti [Diagnostics of volitional personality traits]. Voprosy psikhologii. 2006. no. 1. pp. 10-17.

Corresponding author: konopleva_1975@mail.ru

Abstract

Emotional and volitional progress and experience is commonly ranked among the key success factors for the adolescent personality development process. Objective of the study was to rate benefits of the academic mountaineering sport for the students’ emotional and volitional progress. Academic study period is the time of fast progress of the 18-20 year-olds in the emotional and ethical aspects, character formation, maturing and socializing aspects – when the students accept the mature civil and professional missions and roles.  Academic physical education service may heavily contribute to the emotional and volitional progress. Thus the Kabardino-Balkarian State University sport infrastructure and competences of its faculty allow the university to offer ten elective physical education and sport disciplines for its students including modern mountaineering sport on the indoor climbing walls. Sampled for the study were the first-year female students (n=86) majoring in the non-sport disciplines and split up into two RG (table tennis and badminton) and EG specialized in the mountaineering sport. The emotional and volitional progress tests showed benefits of the optional mountaineering sport model within the academic physical education service.