MOTOR SKILL LEVEL OF STUDENTS AT RISK OF EDUCATIONAL EXCLUSION IN MURES COUNTY, ROMANIA

Abstract

In recent years, preventing school dropout has become a topic of national interest because the number of young people at risk of educational exclusion has considerably increased. That is why we turn our attention to this vulnerable category, in both educational and social terms. The students included in this research represent the main target group in the project “Sustainable social and educational integration through sports activities” (PNP001). The project is designed for students with social and educational integration difficulties and aims to identify directions and solutions to reduce school dropout by involving them in various sports activities. The students are enrolled in two educational units in Mureș County, namely Ogra Middle School (70 students) and Sărățeni Middle School (49 students). In terms of gender, there are 65 boys (average age: 13 years ± 1.26) and 54 girls (average age: 12 years ± 1.15), therefore a total number of 119 students. In order to identify the level of students’ motor skills, we used assessment tests recognised in the field of interest: 4 x 10 m Shuttle run, Standing long jump, t-Test, Stork Test, Flexibility Test and Ruffier Test. By knowing the level of students’ motor performance, we will identify the pattern of their motor skills in relation to gender, age and residence area, and participation in various sports activities is aimed at achieving complementarity between their motor and social development.