Motivation: Attitude of Students of Higher Education Institutions of the I-II Accreditation Levels Toward Physical Education Classes

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to identify the dominant motives for physical education among students of higher education institutions of the I-II accreditation levels at different stages of studying.
 Materials and methods. The study involved first-year (n=30), second-year (n=30), and third-year (n=30) female students of the College of the National Pharmaceutical University (Kharkiv) who attend physical education classes in the main group. The paper used general scientific methods of theoretical level (analysis, synthesis, generalization, induction, deduction), as well as general scientific methods of empirical level (observation, questioning, ranking). The study materials were processed by the IBM SPSS 23 statistical analysis software. The following parameters were calculated: the Kruskal — Wallis test for independent samples, the Pearson χ2 criterion, the Pearson correlation coefficients, and the Kendall’s Tau-b.
 Results. The analysis of the data obtained shows that most female students lead sedentary lifestyles. Only 13.3% of the first- and second-year students and 16.7% of the third-year students participate in physical activity outside of curriculum time every day; at least three times a week – 53.4% of the first- and third-year students, and 40% of the second-year students; several times a month – 26.6% of the first-year students, 33.4% of the second-year students, and 20% of the third-year students; no physical activity at all – 6.7% of the girls of the first year, 13.3% – of the second year, and 10% – of the third year of study. The most significant motives for physical education among the college female students are to improve body shapes, to improve health, to lose weight, and to foster one’s moral and volitional qualities.
 Conclusions. The dominant motive for physical education among female students of higher education institutions of the I-II accreditation levels regardless of the year of study are to improve body shapes, to improve health, to lose weight.