No. 11, pp. 84–86

Received: 20.06.2026 | Published: 23.10.2026

CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Objective of the study is to reveal the age-related regularities of the physical preparedness of pupils of grades 1-11 and to assess its correspondence to the educational standards in the aspect of regional and settlement differences. Methods and structure of the study. The scientific work was performed within the framework of the ascertaining stage of a pedagogical experiment on the basis of 45 institutions of general secondary education of the Gomel, Grodno, Minsk and Vitebsk regions. The data of 6299 testing protocols of pupils were analysed. After cleaning and the exclusion of outliers, 6056 protocols (1843 with paired measurements) were included in the analysis; the final cross-section – 2723 pupils (rural – 397, urban – 2326). Non-parametric criteria, correlation and cluster analysis (K-means), and effect sizes (Cohen’s dz, ε²) were used. The normative assessment was carried out according to the official tables of the curricula. Results and conclusions. The intra-year dynamics of physical preparedness is positive; however, the average normative score is stable (2.584 → 2.590; p = 0.818) due to the outstripping growth of the standards (tension indices up to 6.47), which requires a revision of the scales in grades 5–8. The regional differences are statistically significant, but the effect size is small (ε² < 0.03). It was shown that rural pupils surpass urban ones in endurance, and urban ones – in individual strength indicators. The cluster analysis identified two profiles: ‘prepared’ (32.7 %) and ‘pupils with a low general level of physical preparedness’ (67.3 %), which serves as a basis for differentiated correctional work.

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