Changes in the physical fitness indicators of schoolchildren with visual impairments under the influence of a comprehensive physical education and health program

Abstract

Introduction. Visual deprivation affects all levels of motor development of schoolchildren and, as a result, leads to a low level of physical preparedness. The rapid tendency to increase the number of schoolchildren with pathology of organs of sight and non-adaptation of existing physical education programmes for this contingent to the conditions of today determines the relevance of the presented topic of scientific research. The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of a comprehensive programme of physical culture and health-improving activities for schoolchildren with visual impairment in the process of adaptive physical education.

The methods of the research. The following methods were used in the scientific research: theoretical (analysis of scientific and methodological literature, theoretical analysis and generalisation, system analysis), pedagogical (experiment, physical preparedness testing), mathematical. The results. In the final test, all participants performed the exercise “shuttle run” faster than at the time of the previous assessment of speed and agility, the difference was 0,4s by medians. “The standing long jump” was performed better after the experiment than the distance they were able to jump in length, which was on average 6,4cm longer. The conclusions. The check of the presented changes showed that all of them acquired a sufficient size to be considered statistically significant, in particular, at the level of p<0,01 – changes in indicators of speed, agility, flexibility and endurance when performing the test of lifting the trunk, at the level of p<0,05 – changes in the indicator of muscle strength. However, the number of jumping rope per minute remained unchanged. It is possible to assume that the obtained results of the research show that the developed comprehensive programme of physical culture and health-improving orientation for schoolchildren with visual impairment in the process of adaptive physical education successfully influences various aspects of physical preparedness, contributing to improvement of speed, agility, flexibility and muscle strength in 11-year-old schoolchildren with visual impairment.