Monitoring the physical fitness of students aged 10-15 and 15-18 during online education

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. The necessity to switch to online learning is closely related to the need to ensure the safety of students, which is jeopardized by the military conflict in Ukraine. In the context of online learning, diagnosing the physical fitness of students becomes more challenging, creating problems for physical education teachers. The purpose of the study is to suggest alternatives to physical fitness tests for students that can be adequately conducted at home. Materias and Methods. The study involved students aged 10-15 (middle school) and 15-18 (high school). The study involved students aged 10-15 (middle school) and 15-18 (high school). The high school group comprised 11 students (7 girls and 4 boys), while the middle school group included 28 students (16 boys and 12 girls). The research was conducted at the Velikosknitsky Lyceum (Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine) during offline physical education classes at the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. The physical fitness testing was carried out using suggested tests that could be performed independently at home. Results. The presence of significant correlational relationships between the outcomes of certain tests has been established. For example, there is a high correlation (0.95) between the results of the standing long jump and physical fitness in higher grades. A moderate correlation was also found between the results of the 30-meter dash and physical fitness in higher grades. Additionally, a weak correlation was established for the 4x9 meter shuttle run in middle grades. Conclusions. The study's findings demonstrate that conducting test exercises at home is a practical and efficient alternative to traditional diagnostics in school sports halls. However, assessing some aspects of physical fitness, such as speed, endurance, and strength, may be more challenging in an online setting.