Pattern Recognition: Description of Functional and Motor Preparedness of Students of Higher Educational Institutions

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the age-related peculiarities of functional and motor preparedness of students of higher educational institutions.
 Materials and methods. The study participants were first-year (n=67), second-year (n=66), third-year (n=62), fourth-year (n=45), fifth-year (n=56) male students. The following research methods were used to solve the tasks set: analysis of scientific literature, pedagogical observation, pedagogical testing; index method and medical-biological methods. Pedagogical methods were used to study the peculiarities of functional state of the body and motor abilities of the 1st-5th year students of higher educational institutions; discriminant analysis was used for data processing.
 Results. There was no statistically significant difference between the 1st-5th year students by the results of test 5 “100 m run”, test 6 “Standing long jump”. The third-year students had the worst results in functional tests and Romberg’s test. The third-year students had the best results in test 7 “Arms’ bending and straightening in a hanging position”.
 Conclusions. Discriminant analysis made it possible to reveal that the third year of study is the most problematic period in students’ physical education; to answer the question as to the significance of difference between the 1st-5th year students by the level of motor and functional preparedness; to define what indicators most significantly influence the differences between the students’ preparedness; what class the object belongs to based on the values of discriminant variables. The discriminant function structure coefficients show that the most significant difference between the test results of the students in different years of study is observed in coordination preparedness.