PhD, Associate Professor L.T. Orlova¹
PhD E.V. Naumov¹
Associate Professor O.V. Krapivin¹
V.A. Novikov¹
A.Yu. Grushina^2
1 Ryazan State University named after S.A. Yesenin, Ryazan
²Academy of Law and Administration of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Ryazan

Keywords: reflexive capacity, self-esteem, self-development, self-reliance, women’s cross-country skiing, theoretical and practical trainings, provisions.

Background. Reflexive capacity with its independence, self-control, introspection and other components is ranked among the key personality qualities critical for progress of cadets, university students and athletes on the whole and academic women cross-country skiers in particular. Reflexive capacity is interpreted by a few leading Russian psychologists and educators as certain awareness, understanding and introspecting ability necessary for the self-identification, world outlook formation and controlled personality transformation agenda. Generally the analysts tend to agree that a sound reflexive capacity is critical for a professional progress and, hence, should be in high priority in the academic education curriculum with a special attention to the self-confidence, self-identification and assertion aspects that are crucial for success in virtually every professional and sporting domain including the women’s cross-country skiing sport that requires perfect mental control,  physical fitness and willpower for success at the sport excellence and academic progress stages [1, 6, 7, 9]. As things now stand, the relevant research publications give a special priority to the technical and tactical aspects in the theoretical and practical training service for the women’s cross-country skiing sport elite [3-5, 8]. It should be mentioned that the matters of the reflexive capacity training in the academic women’s cross-country skiing sport are still underexplored by the theoretical and practical literature, and we feel that this research field deserves a special attention from the research community.

Objective of the study was to test benefits of a new reflective capacity training model to complement the theoretical and practical trainings service for the academic female cross-country skiers and university students.

Methods and structure of the study. The new reflexive capacity training model testing experiment was run at the Sports Center of the Federal Penitentiary Service’s Academy of Law and Administration in Ryazan city in the academic year of 2017-18. We sampled female cross-country skiers (n=17) qualified Class I to CMS and split them into Experimental Group (EG, n=8) and Reference Group (RG, n=9). The RG was trained as required by the traditional training system, and the EG trainings were complemented by the reflexive capacity training model. We formed a pre-experimental test set for the background reflexive capacity rating purposes including the V.I. Andreev’s self-development, self-identification and independence test; and N.P. Fetiskin’s self-esteem rating questionnaire survey method [2, 10].

Results and discussion. The V.I. Andreev’s test found domination of medium self-development ability rated individuals in both of the groups: 62.5% (n=5) and 66.6% (n=6) in the EG and RG, respectively. It should be underlined that a special role in an individual reflexive capacity is played by the self-esteem, self-respect, ambitiousness and leadership qualities critical for progress in professional career and sports. The self-esteem in the sample was also tested by the N.P. Fetiskin questionnaire survey including 15 questions. The survey data showed the sample being dominated by the moderately self-esteem rated individuals making up 75% (n=6) and 77.7% (n=7) in the EG and RG, respectively. Most of the respondents opted for “I often worry in vain” and “I worry about my future” – that means that their independence and self-control domains were relatively underdeveloped prior to the experiment.

Our next goal in the study was to make provisions for the reflexive capacity training model to complement the regular theoretical and practical trainings service to the women’s cross-country skiing sample in every element so as to help them make progress in the self-learning, self-development and self-esteem domains. Having analyzed the available literature on the subject, we came up with the following provisions to make the reflexive capacity training model:

- Customizable to the practical individual experiences and progresses in the theoretical and practical trainings using a versatile set of training tools and methods;

- Dialogue-driven to facilitate the trainees’ communication in the theoretical and practical trainings classes to develop mutual trust, respect and cooperation, freedom of expression and due creativity supported by the problems/ solutions analyzing capacity;

– Open for role games, creative resource mobilizing trainings, self-assertion facilitating environments; and self-assessment and self-control capacity building tools to encourage individual progresses. Generally the trainings included the following four stages: preparation, awareness, analysis and practical actions – geared to ensure progress in the mental self-control, relaxation, thinking, analyzing and emotional balancing skills, competences and qualities;

- Supported by with the individual progress plans with the daily regimen being balanced for intellectual work, sleep and theoretical and practical trainings classes;

- Open for the interim progress rating dialogues, with the progress analyzed on a weekly, monthly, and semester basis;

– Assisted by the trainer/ instructor service critical for success in the reflexive capacity training process, with a special priority to the following instruction methods: cooperative and friendly relationships with positive attitudes to trainees; joint progress assessment with the trainees; success situations in trainings; choice situations in the stepped-difficulty training tasks, training options, etc.; and training system individualization based on a perfect knowledge of the trainees’ personality qualities, physical abilities and functionalities;

– Facilitated by the mutual learning, monitoring, progress assessment and mutual support elements to help the trainees make progress in every training exercise and test their own instruction/ training capacities in the role games geared to develop their creativity.

Based on the above provisions, we designed the reflective capacity training model to complement the theoretical and practical trainings service to the academic female cross-country skiers. The post- versus pre-experimental tests found a significant progress of the EG versus RG: see Table 1 hereunder.

Table 1.  Pre- versus post-experimental reflexive capacity progress test data, points

The EG and RG were tested to make progresses for the study period in the self-development domain by 1.38 and 0.27 points and self-esteem domain by 1.55 and 0.42 points, respectively. The subgroups tested highly skillful in the self-development domain were estimated to grow to  87.5% (plus 3 people) and 66.6% (plus 1) in the EG and RG, respectively. The EG and RG prioritized the following life principles: “live to build up knowledge and skills” and “live and enjoy life”, respectively – that was interpreted as indicative of the higher self-development agenda in the EG. The question “Are you sure you will make your dreams come true in the professional career and social domain” was responded positively by 75% (n=6) and 44.4% (n=4) of the EG and RG, respectively.

Furthermore, the tests found the following progresses in the group priority personality qualities: willpower: plus 3 and 1 subjects in the EG and RG, respectively; persistence: plus 2 and 1 subjects in the EG and RG, respectively; and purposefulness: plus 3 and 2 subjects in the EG and RG, respectively. The self-esteem tests found the following progresses in the EG: “I don’t worry in vain”, “I don’t feel constrained” and “I don’t worry about my future” subgroups were tested to grow by 2, 3 and 3 subjects, respectively.

On the whole, the reflective capacity training model was tested to notably contribute to the positive mindsets in the EG. The trainees were tested to make progresses in the self-analyzing and self-esteem domains and developed a habit for reflection with analysis of own personal qualities and traits as a basis for an adequate self-esteem; and these new skills were found to contribute to their competitive accomplishments in different events. Thus the EG made the following success in the post-experimental 2018 events: FSIN Russian Women’s Cross-Country Skiing Championship: Timina A. (MS) - 4th place versus 6th place in 2017; Volchik A. (CMS) - 7th place versus 10th place in 2017; Levchenko S. 10th place versus 14th place in 2017; Regional Women’s Cross-Country Skiing Championship: Timina A. 1st place versus 1st place in 2017; Volchik A. 3rd place versus 4th place in 2017; Levchenko S. (Class I) 4th versus 6th place in 2017; Ryazan University Women’s Cross-Country Skiing Games: A. Timina 1st place; Volchik A. 2nd place versus 3rd place in 2017; and Levchenko S. 5th place versus 6th place in 2017. These competitive progresses were interpreted as indicative of the new reflexive capacity training model being beneficial for the theoretical and practical trainings service to the academic women cross-country skiers.

Conclusion. The new RG training model with the progress facilitating provisions was tested beneficial and may be recommended to complement the theoretical and practical trainings service for the academic female cross-country skiers and university students. The PC training model gives a special priority to the customization, dialogues, role games, individualized training tools, trainer-instructor cooperative service, weekly progress planning, training service versatility and interim progress rating elements. Benefits of the new Reference Group training model were verified by the pre- versus post-experimental progress tests and practical competitive accomplishments of the Experimental Group in different post-experimental competitive events.

References

1. Ananyev B.G.; Bodalev A.A. [ed.] Psychology and problems of human knowledge: selected psychological works. Moscow, Voronezh: Moscow Psychological and Social Institute MODEK publ., 2005. 431 p.
2. Andreev V.I. Pedagogy. Training course for creative self-development. Kazan: Tsentr innovats. tekhnologiy publ., 2003. 608 .
3. Gurskiy A.V., Ermakov V.V., Kobzeva L.F. Ski race. Study guide. Smolensk: SSAPEST publ., 2012. 120 p.
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5. Zakharov P.Ya. Skiing and teaching methodology: educational complex (for students majoring in 050720 - "Physical Education"). Gorno-Altaisk: RIE GASU publ., 2010. 92 p.
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7. Leontiev A.N. Formation of activity psychology. Moscow: Smysl publ., 2003. 439 p.
8. Ramenskaya T.I., Batalov A.G. Skiing. Textbook. Moscow: Fizicheskaya kultura publ., 2005. 320 p.
9. Rubinstein S.L. Fundamentals of General Psychology. St. Petersburg: Piter publ., 2006. 678 p.
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Abstract

Objective of the study was to test benefits of a new reflective capacity training model to complement the theoretical and practical trainings service for the academic female cross-country skiers and university students.

Methods and structure of the study. The new reflexive capacity training model testing experiment was run at the Sports Center of the Federal Penitentiary Service’s Academy of Law and Administration in Ryazan city in the academic year of 2017-18. We sampled female cross-country skiers (n=17) qualified Class I to CMS and split them into Experimental Group (EG, n=8) and Reference Group (RG, n=9). The Reference Group was trained as required by the traditional training system, and the Experimental Group trainings were complemented by the reflexive capacity training model. We formed a pre-experimental test set for the background reflexive capacity rating purposes including the V.I. Andreev’s self-development, self-identification and independence test; and N.P. Fetiskin’s self-esteem rating questionnaire survey method.

Study results and conclusions. The new Reference Group training model with the progress facilitating provisions was tested beneficial and may be recommended to complement the theoretical and practical trainings service for the academic female cross-country skiers and university students. The PC training model gives a special priority to the customization, dialogues, role games, individualized training tools, trainer-instructor cooperative service, weekly progress planning, training service versatility and interim progress rating elements. Benefits of the new Reference Group training model were verified by the pre- versus post-experimental progress tests and practical competitive accomplishments of the Experimental Group in different post-experimental competitive events.