Associate professor, Ph.D. V.P. Kopaev¹
D.A. Bryl'^2
1Velikie Luki State Academy of Physical Culture and Sport, Velikie Luki
²Secondary school № 9, Velikie Luki

Keywords: primary school age, physical education, basic sport, combined general education and sports orientations, regional specifics, integrative effect.

Introduction. What should physical education be like in primary school in order to seize the multifold opportunities of this stage in child development? The analysis of literary data on physical education at different educational levels shows the variety of views on the content and organization of physical education at school. Experts' standing for the need for dominated educational orientation of the subject, obtaining the full-scale general education by the students in the field of physical culture [5, 6] and associating the future of school physical education with the idea of ​​its sportization [1, 2] is considered particularly reasonable. Each of these orientations has its own conceptual framework, significant potential, and at the same time they separately have certain disadvantages caused by the current conditions of comprehensive schools' functioning. We believe, proper performance of physical education can be achieved only by ensuring a certain balance between the mentioned orientations.

The purpose of the study was to obtain applied scientific data on the effectiveness of combining general education and sports related physical education of primary school children and to use it to create an appropriate teaching technology.

Materials and methods. The educational experiment with the use of particular methods of assessment of children's level of physical fitness, progress with regard to the program of physical education, technical sport skills and a number of parameters of the functional state of pupils was applied for a comprehensive study of the issue in 2010-2014. The study was organized with the primary pupils of the municipal budgetary general education institution secondary school No. 9, Velikie Luki, in 2010-2014 in terms of the regional experimental platform under the auspices of Velikie Luki State Academy of Physical Culture and Sport. The experimental program was developed to meet the requirements of Federal State Education Standards and the reference program for physical education of primary school children. Table 1 shows training units and hours provided for their mastering.

Table 1. Distribution of training hours by types of the program material providing three-time physical training lessons per week

Shotokan karate was used as a basic sport in the experimental class (EC). It was introduced to the educational program due to the need to strengthen the applied orientation of physical education in the region, as well as owing to the popularity of this sport among children. In addition, this martial arts style was well combined with traditional forms of training and did not require additional material and technical equipment. Thanks to the belt system sports and technical progress of children was registered every 4-6 months of training. Physical education lessons in the EC were supplemented with extracurricular karate classes (2 hours per week in the 1st grade and 6 hours - in the 2nd-4th grades). In the control class (CC) with the same amount of hours lessons were held according to the conventional program and extracurricular classes - on their basis using the conditioning program.

Teaching was implemented with regard to the traditional (reproductive) technology, the technology of stage-by-stage formation of mental actions, activity-related and personality-centered approaches. The process of physical education was planned with regard to the technology of comprehensive annual planning [3] and with due regard to requirements imposed on a current physical education lesson [4]. The children were examined at the premises of the research center of Velikie Luki State Academy of Physical Culture and Sport.

Results and discussion. Table 2 provides total indices of physical fitness of the subjects of the experiment.

Table 2. Physical fitness indices of pupils of the experimental and control classes upon completion of primary school program (х±δ)

It can be seen that pupils in the EC significantly advance their peers in the average indicators of physical fitness. This was also confirmed in official competitions: the EC took the 1st place in the rating of the conditioning program among 212 fourth grades of the Pskov region where pupils were tested under the program "Gubernskie sostyazaniya" (Provincial competitions") [7], while the CC took the 55th place in this rating.

Over the period of four academic years the pupils of the EC have learnt the basic karate techniques and gained the competition and exhibition performance experience. In 2014 they won 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals in the WKF karate championship for regions.

The advantage of the chosen approach to teaching was also in the degree of mastery of conventional program units by the pupils of the EC, assimilation of theoretical and methodological material. An increase in the weekly time spent on their performance appeared to be the indirect confirmation of the increased motivation for physical exercises. In the 1st grade the time spent on physical exercises in the EC amounted to 3,113±1,607 sec. per week, while by the end of the fourth grade it was

9,204 ± 2,918 sec. per week. In the CC it amounted to 3,280±1,123 sec. and 5,921±2,673 sec. respectively.

Comparative data of assessment of the functional state of the observed experimental group upon completion of training in the fourth grade, indicating the adequacy of the applied physical loads, are given in Table 3.
Table 3. The indices of the functional state of pupils in the experimental and control classes upon completion of primary school program (х±δ).

It is also important that no conflicts have been recorded related with the provision of pupils' training in the field of martial arts that would have been resolved with the use of physical force or verbal aggression. The educational work aimed at the formation of the basic values ​​of national culture balanced the situation.

Conclusions. Checking the effectiveness of combining general education and sports related physical education of primary school children gave positive educational results. The introduction of this approach in the school practice will help with solution of a wide range of tasks.

References

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7. Sajt Gosudarstvennogo komiteta Pskovskoy oblasti po fizicheskoy kul'ture i sportu (Web site of the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport, Pskov region): http://sport.pskov.ru/sport_oficial.php?ids=99.

Corresponding author: gorodnichev@vlgafc.ru