Military academy faculty’s physical education design and management service: success factors

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Dr.Hab., Professor R.M. Kadyrov1
Dr.Hab., Professor G.N. Blakhin1
Dr.Hab., Professor V.E. Smirnov2
PhD A.N. Chirgin1
1Military Institute of Physical Training, St. Petersburg Petersburg
2North-Western Branch of Russian State University of Justice, St. Petersburg

Keywords: management, physical training, physical education specialists.

Introduction. G.G. Dmitriev et al. (2016) note that the dependence of the activity content on the role of its structural components in a higher-order cycle is associated with cyclicity. In particular, the specific weight and distribution of efforts in the annual training cycle determine the direction and content of managerial activity in each training period; in a training cycle - at each of its stages, and at the main stage - each month; in a monthly training cycle - every week; and in a weekly training cycle - every day. This raises the issue of identifying the factors that would help arrange the content of physical education specialists’ activity. The identification of the factors affecting the efficiency of organizational and managerial activities of physical education specialists will primarily make it possible to consider them in practice.

Objective of the study was to identify factors of increase of the efficiency of organizational and managerial activities of physical education specialists.

Methods and structure of the study. The methodological approach used in this study is based on a structural-functional activity analysis. It reveals correlations between individual components of this activity, importance of these correlations and role of individual components.

Results and discussion. In the first series of experiments, we analyzed the peculiarities of organization of testing and evaluation of the physical education process in a military educational institution. When organizing verification of the physical education process, it is synchronization of inspectors’ actions that is of primary importance for economy of time. Meanwhile, it is critical to determine the significance of the structural components of managerial actions during preparation, verification and reporting on verification of physical fitness level (Table 1).

The teaching staff of the department of physical education acted as experts. The expert panel was made of 40 specialists. The quality of the expert assessment is recommended to be determined in a comprehensive manner using the following formula:

C* = 0.14 Csa + 0.21 Cpa + tolerance range of Cacc + 0.22 Cdm + 0.30 Crr,

where Csa – competency self-assessment; Cpa – peer assessment of competency of the expert panel; Cacc – evaluation of the expert’s interest in accurate work; Cdm – expert assessment of deviation of his judgment from mean group judgment; Crr – reproducible result-oriented evaluation, i.e. based on the expert assessment.

Table 1. Importance of managerial activities when preparing for physical fitness testing

Content and sequence of managerial actions

Teaching service experience

Up to 3 years

4-5 years

6-10 years

 1. Appointment of units.

0.09

0.10

0.15

 2. Determination of deadline and conformity of training aids supply.

0.24

0.15

0.10

 3. Determination of conformity of training aids supply.

0.18

0.25

0.25

 4. Clarification of content and procedure of verification.

0.40

0.35

0.30

 5. Instructing assistants.

0.09

0.15

0.20

 

The analysis of the data obtained revealed that, regardless of their professional experience, the experts consider it more important to clarify the content of verification and its procedure. At the same time, there is another condition that should be pointed out: with the growth of work experience, the significance of managerial actions when preparing for verification (inspection) is redistributed. In particular, the significance of such indicators as the choice of units to be inspected, instructing assistants, and determination of the conformity of the training aids supply to verification is gradually increasing.

Let us consider the dynamics of significant managerial actions singled out by the experts. More experienced teachers, along with the relevance of the content and procedure of verification, single out such indicators as the appointment of units and instructing assistants.

It is extremely important to emphasize that the choice of the key link here is determined by the greater focus on the ability to distribute the units for inspection and on coordination of the assistants’ actions. Apparently, these indicators determine the organization of the process of testing and evaluation of physical training in a military educational institution.

The complexity of management of physical training is due to its differences depending on the scale of managerial activities. Undoubtedly, there are organizational processes that are characteristic of the unit (lesson plan, instructing assistants, monitoring and accounting). In turn, in a military educational institution, it is coordination of actions of various officials that is of prime importance.

Observation over the managerial activities of physical education specialists reveals general and variable aspects of their activity. Let us suppose that the most common element here is segmentation of work. Thus, it is extremely important to single out the criterion by which the work is segmented and determine the volume of a particular part. And in this case, "internal vision" of the situation, which is formed in the process of practical activity, is very important.

During the experiment, it was required to determine how sports events contribute to simultaneous solution of two problems. In our case, there were events that were equivalent in effectiveness, and we classified them by the connected ranks.

It should be noted that the events singled out by the experts apply to the training phase when organizational problems are solved. Consistency of the expert opinions indicates that these preparatory measures are of a general nature and can be used quite effectively when preparing for all types of physical training activities. It should be noted that they indirectly reflect the elements of management: planning, training of executors, provisioning, control and accounting. Obviously, the main content of managerial activities should include these elements.

The further work involved the study of factor structure of managerial activity (Table 2). This study was necessitated by the need to single out generalizing factors that significantly affect the managerial activity of physical education specialists. The ranking of the identified managerial activities was carried out by 23 experts. After which, the scores were summed up to obtain an empirical indicator for each action. Further on, we conducted a factorial analysis based on the common Varimax rotation criterion.

Table 2. Factor structure of managerial activities (experimental findings)

   Indicators

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

 1. Drafting orders.

0.267

0.902

0.160

-0.495

2. Management of construction and maintenance of sports  facilities.

0.116

0.368

0.120

0.702

 3. Providing assistance to unit commanders in physical training.

-0.048

0.254

0.856

0.369

 4. Training of sport assets.

0.832

0.054

-0.061

-0.150

 5. Organization of sports competitions.

0.891

0.129

-0.531

-0.140

 6. Management of physical training process in picked teams.

0.714

0.366

-0.080

0.164

 7. Control of physical training in units.

-0.072

0.832

0.738

-0.069

 8. Organization of training sessions with officers.

0.112

0.832

0.738

-0.069

 Factors, %

28.62

14.82

12.3

8.68

 

The factorial analysis made it possible to single out four generalizing factors (see Table 2). The first one - the ability to organize sports activities - was characterized by the high factorial weight of managerial activities aimed to train a sport asset, organization of sports competitions and management of the process of training of picked teams. Its weight was estimated at 28.62% of the total sample variance.

The second factor was interpreted as that characterizing the ability to manage and control the process of physical training. Its weight in the total sample variance was estimated at 14.82%. Here, it is such managerial actions as the ability to draft orders and control physical training in units that have the highest factorial weights.

The third factor characterized managerial and methodical skills. It included the following managerial actions with the high factorial weights: the ability to provide assistance to unit commanders in physical training and organize training sessions with officers. Its factorial weight amounted to 12.3% of the total sample variance.

And finally, the last factor (accounting to 8.68% of the total sample variance) indicated that one of the most important components of managerial activity is the management of construction and maintenance of sports facilities and places for physical training.

The factorial analysis results showed that the modern mass sport service plays a growing role in the physical education management service of the academic physical education faculty. Moreover, it should be noted that this type of activity is habitual for physical education specialists. On the one hand, this emphasizes a special need to master the skills necessary for mass sports activities when acquiring vocational education, and on the other - it is a special functional area where specific managerial skills are formed directly.         

Conclusion. It should be emphasized that the above managerial actions reflect the sequence of work of physical education specialists at the training stage and during the actual conduct of sports events of various complexity.

The reasonableness of managerial actions is manifested in the presence of general, automatic skills that vary as the work advances. At the same time, in the course of managerial activity, there is a constant transition from concrete steps to generalized elements of work.

References

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Corresponding author: vifk-nic@ya.ru

Abstract

The study analyzes the military academy faculty’s physical education service success factors in the physical education design and management domains. The authors used a responsibility (functionality) structure analysis to find correlations, roles and weights of the structural components. A factor analysis showed that the modern mass sport service plays a growing role in the physical education management service of the academic physical education faculty and is ranked among the key responsibilities of the latter. On the one hand, the finding underlines that the mass sport management competencies shall be given a special priority by the professional physical education system; and on the other hand, it shall be considered a special service field that requires special management skills being trained in the specialists. On the whole, the study data and analyses helped summarize the management skills claimed by the modern mass sport events; and outline the research tools needed to prioritize the physical education design and management skills and the physical education service success factors. It should be mentioned that the mass sport design and management service may be successful only when the physical education specialists are equipped with universal and versatile skills and competences customizable to the practical needs and challenges.