PhD, Associate Professor O.E. Piskun¹
PhD, Associate Professor N.N. Vengerova¹
Dr. Sc.Tech., Professor D.G. Arsenyev¹
PhD, Associate Professor V.V. Krasnoshchekov^1
1Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg

Objective of the study was to design and analyze benefits of an optional physical education model for the preparatory-course foreign students to facilitate their socio-cultural adaptation to the Russian academic environments.
Methods and structure of the study. We sampled for the new optional physical education model testing experiment the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University’s preparatory-course foreign students (n=68) of the following origins: Asian: China, Mongolia, Vietnam (76.5% of the sample); African: 13.2%, and European - 10.3%.
We designed our optional physical education model for foreign students with the health physical education technologies as required by the valid Federal State Higher Education Standards to include the following two modules: Team Sports (volleyball, basketball, football, table tennis and badminton); and Fitness Technologies (strength and fitness trainings in gyms). The sample was trained using the above modules for one academic year, with the progress tested by tests and the team sports competitions at the Small Olympic Games for the foreign students.
Results and conclusion. The optional physical education model testing experiment found the model being beneficial for the psychological comfort and progress of the foreign students in the mass sports events (facilitated by the optional physical education off-class practices and team sports competitions), with special benefits for the foreign students’ adaptation to the Russian university environment. The pre- versus post-experimental tests found progress of the young foreigners on the interpersonal tolerance, optimism, psychological comfort, benevolence and other test scales. Based on the study data and analyses, we would recommend the academic physical education curriculum for the foreign students to be designed and managed with the highest sensitivity to the foreign students’ individual psychological and gender-specific personality factors and the regional ethnic and cultural specifics.

Keywords: physical activity program, personality factors, foreign students’ integration.

References

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