Honorary Figure of Russian Higher Education, Dr.Hab., Professor A.E. Bolotin
Associate Professor, PhD in Education O.E. Piskun
Dr.Sc.Hist., Professor S.N. Pogodin
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint Petersburg

Keywords: management of sports activities, value-motivational orientation, university physical education system.

Nowadays the need for comprehensive physical training of students of higher education establishments is growing. Regular sporting activities are a key element for improving physical fitness [1-4]. Physical education classes are especially important for students’ health improvement and their preparation for future working life. It is vital to consider the student's value-motivational orientations during physical education classes, which helps to significantly increase the efficiency of management of sports work at higher education establishments.

During sporting activities students develop various professional and practical skills, such as reaction speed, agility, strength and stamina, and they also become more hard-working. At the same time the analysis of the content of sports activities at higher education establishments shows that its current focus cannot fully contribute to students’ physical fitness and productivity, the reason being that the value-motivational orientation of students is not normally taken into account. Consequently, this leads to lower efficiency of management of sports work at higher education establishments.

Objective of the research was to identify the special features of sports activities management at higher education establishments taking into account value-motivational orientations of students.

Methods and structure of the research. In order to identify the special features of sports activities management at higher education establishments a survey was conducted among students doing sports to various degrees. 187 students of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University took part in the survey. Student engagement in sporting activities was studied based on such features as regularity and stability of training sessions, as well as the duration of the training process. Eventually, the surveyed students were divided into 3 groups.

Group A comprised 27.1% students with the highest degree of involvement in sporting activities.

Group B consisted of 22.1% of students with moderately involved in sports.

Group C included 50.8% of students with a low degree of involvement in sporting activities.

The first two groups consisted of 77.1% of men and 31.7% of women, while group C included 22.9% of men and 68.3% of women respectively. The motivational aspects and the needs of students determining their sporting activities were studied during the research.

Research results and discussion. The research into students’ sporting activities has made it possible to identify the motivation for doing sports, which, in its turn, has enabled determining the subjective features of their priorities concerning sporting activities. The main need for doing sports was singled out in each of the groups depending on the degree of involvement in sporting activities. It has been established that the degree of involvement in sporting activities is subjectively determined by the degree of certain needs. Those needs act as the main motivational factors encouraging students to do sports (see Table 1). On the practical level the needs characterize the incentive for students to do sports.

Table 1 proves the fact that the representatives of group A have a wide range of needs, reflecting the necessity for physical, social, esthetic and psychic perfection in accordance with the requirements imposed on them by their future professional duties after graduation.

Table 1. Needs of Students from Different Groups of Sporting Activities (percentage)

It has been established that for the representatives of groups A, B and C the needs include health improvement, demonstration of positive emotions, and development of physical qualities. In addition, sustaining work efficiency is significant for group A representatives, while psychological comfort when doing sports is more important for the groups B and C subjects.

The interest and inclination of students to do certain sports are determined by the extent to which their needs are developed, as well as their content. The research has proved that the variety of students’ interests concerning sport is somewhat dependent upon the degree of their involvement in sports and the content of their needs. Thus, students with a high degree of involvement have a wider range of interests related to sport (see Table 2). They prefer doing bodybuilding (24%), hand-to-hand fight (17%), barbell exercises and kettlebell lifting (16%), and sports games (14%). Students with an average degree of involvement in sports tend to opt for swimming (38%), tourism (21.7%), skiing (21%), sports games (17%), and jogging (11%). Students with a low degree of involvement in sports are more likely to do aerobics (32%), rhythmic gymnastics (24%), jogging (21%), and swimming (11%).

The comparative analysis of the students’ sports interests depending on their degree of involvement in sports.

Table 2. Comparative analysis of students’ sports interests depending on their degree of involvement in sports (Percentage)

It is necessary to consider the above-mentioned data when organizing sports activities at higher education establishments.

Students’ motivation to do sports to sustain their work efficiency is especially interesting. For students from the groups A and B doing sports means improving their efficiency and ensuring ultimate psychological well-being, while for the group C students health improvement is a key factor when doing sports.

The present data shows that the representatives of the first two groups have subjective motives, although, in the long run, it allows them to become more physically fit. Students showing little interest in sports were generally skeptical about exercising to improve their motor skills and they also had difficulty identifying or assessing benefits of sports occupations.

The conducted analysis of the students’ motivational aspects testifies that only 25-30% of the respondents are aware of the importance of sport and exercising for maintaining the necessary body functionality and work efficiency. The degree of students’ involvement in sports is regulated with the help of their sports needs and interests, as well as the degree of significance of the latter in the general hierarchical structure of their value-motivational orientations. Three types of behavior can be identified in the structure of students’ involvement in sports: sports-related (group A), recreational and health-improving (groups B and C). The structure of the sports-related behavior comprises quite a low percentage of the need to exercise to maintain the required level of psychological comfort. Other important factors determining students' passive approach to sports are the fact of ignoring the students’ individual characteristics in the training program design process and major shortcomings of the way training sessions are organized.

Thus, we believe, taking into account students’ interests their motivation to do sports can be  considerably improved, which, in its turn, promotes better organized sports activities at higher education establishments.

Conclusions. The research has revealed that the degree of students’ involvement in sports depends on their sports needs and interests, as well as the significance of the latter in the general hierarchical structure of their value-motivational orientations. Three types of behavior can be identified in the structure of students’ involvement in sports: sports-related, recreational and health-improving. The structure of sports-related behavior comprises quite a low percentage of the need to exercise to maintain the required level of psychological comfort. Other important factors determining students' passive approach to sports are the fact of ignoring the students’ individual characteristics when designing training programs and major shortcomings of the way training sessions are organized. Taking into account the students' value-motivational orientations helps to optimize the sports management at higher educational institutions, to identify specific ways to encourage students to do different sports, and to set up classes tailored to students’ needs.

References

1. Bolotin A.E., Bakaev V.V. Pokazateli gotovnosti studentov k zdorovesberegayushchemu povedeniyu [Figures Describing Students’ Readiness for Health-Saving Behavior]. Uchenye zapiski un-ta im. P.F. Lesgafta, 2013, no. 12 (106), pp. 36-39.
2. Bolotin A.E., Bakaev V.V. Tekhnologiya upravleniya zdorovym obrazom zhizni studentov [Technologies for Managing Students’ Healthy Lifestyle]. Uchenye zapiski un-ta im. P.F. Lesgafta, 2014, no. 1 (107), pp. 24-28.
3. Bolotin A.E., Yakovlev Yu.V. Faktory, opredelyayushchie vklyuchennost studentov gornykh spetsialnostey v fizkulturno-sportivnuyu deyatelnost [Factors Determining Involvement of Students of Mining Specialties in Sports Activity]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2014, no. 6, pp. 58-59.

Corresponding author: a_bolotin@inbox.ru

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the authors’ research aimed at identifying the special features concerning the encouragement of university students to engage with sporting activities taking into account their value-motivational orientations. During the research it has been established that the degree of students’ involvement in sports activities is regulated by a number of their sports interests and needs, as well as by the importance of the latter in the hierarchy of their value-motivational orientations. Three types of behavior can be differentiated related to the students’ involvement in sports: sports-related, recreational and health-improving. The structure of sports-related behavior comprises quite a low percentage of the need to exercise to maintain the required level of psychological comfort. Other important factors determining the students' passive approach to sports are the fact of ignoring the students’ individual characteristics in the training program design process and major shortcomings of the way training sessions are organized. Taking into account the value-motivational orientations of students helps to optimize the management of sports activities at higher education establishments, to identify specific ways to encourage students to do different sports, and to set up classes tailored to students’ needs.