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89Sport orienteering practices and their impact on cognitive mental processes in students
UDC 796.01:159.9
D.M. Zagorodnikova1
PhD, Associate Professor N.L. Guseva1 1National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk
Corresponding author: [email protected]
Abstract
Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of a new academic orienteering sport model for progress in the ACMT (attention control, memorizing and thinking) skills.
Methods and structure of the study. We used for the purposes of the study the following research methods: analyses of the theoretical and practical literature on the subject; ACMT skill tests [1, 6, 7] in the new orienteering sport model testing academic experiment; academic progress surveys; and standard mathematical statistics tools for the test data processing. The study was run in September through December 2019 at the National Research Tomsk State University. We sampled the 18-21 year old males (n=18) and split them up into Experimental and Reference Groups (EG, RG) of 9 people each. The EG standard physical training system was complemented by the new orienteering sport model of our design; and the RG trainings were dominated by traditional bodybuilding practices with physical progress tests. Both groups were trained twice a week for 90 minutes, with the practical trainings complemented by the standard theoretical physical education and sports classes.
Results and conclusions. The study data and analyses showed the new orienteering sport model being beneficial for the ACMT (attention control, memorizing and thinking) skills of the sample, with particularly significant progress found in the attention control and memorizing skills tests. Therefore, the new orienteering sport model may be recommended as complementary to the standard academic physical education and sports curricula for its proven psychophysical progress benefits and growing popularity in the young people's communities.
Keywords: physical education and sports, orienteering sport, cognitive progress, students.
Background. Lately the national academic physical education community has given a growing priority to the studies to offer new physical education and sports toolkits to both to promote physical activity among students and facilitate their intellectual progress. Of special promise in this potential toolkit is the modern orienteering sport that is getting increasingly popular the world over including Russia - with its popular mass sports events such as the annual "Rossi-yskiy Azimut" (English: Russian Azimuth) tournament for different age groups. The sport discipline is particularly appreciated for its sport-specific physical fitness standards and ACMT (attention control, memo-
rizing and thinking) qualities needed for competitive success. An orienteering sport competitor needs to be highly skilled in map reading, practical orienteering in different terrains, competitive anticipations and responses, attention control and memorizing qualities to fix and use every landmark in competitions and in the performance analysis thereafter. In addition, he/ she shall have a good stress tolerance as the competitive performance is always affected by many stressors including weather conditions, pressures from rivals and spectators, difficult terrains, unexpected problems on the run, etc. [3-5, 8]. We believe, therefore, that the modern orienteering sport may be highly
beneficial both for the special academic orienteering sport groups and as a complementary discipline for the standard academic physical education and sports curricula to facilitate and harmonize the students' physical and intellectual progress [2].
Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of a new academic orienteering sport model for progress in the ACMT (attention control, memorizing and thinking) skills.
Methods and structure of the study. We used for the purposes of the study the following research methods: analyses of the theoretical and practical literature on the subject; ACMT skill tests [1, 6, 7] in the new orienteering sport model testing academic experiment; academic progress surveys; and standard mathematical statistics tools for the test data processing. The study was run in September through December 2019 at the National Research Tomsk State University. We sampled the 18-21 year old males (n=18) and split them up into Experimental and Reference Groups (EG, RG) of 9 people each. The EG standard physical training system was complemented by the new orienteering sport model of our design; and the RG trainings were dominated by traditional bodybuilding practices with physical progress tests. Both groups were trained twice a week for 90 minutes, with the practical trainings complemented by the standard theoretical physical education and sports classes.
Results and discussion. The EG theoretical and practical trainings included both the physical and ACMT progress facilitation practices in classes and outdoors, including, e.g., the following practices [8-10].
1. Cut the map into squares or triangles and give a few to every competitor to reassemble them, with a few difficulty stepping options. Prior to the test, the competitors are given a look at the uncut map to later on mobilize their attention and memory for the reassembling exercise.
2. Two identical maps are cut into 5x5cm pieces, with the pieces turned over, shuffled up like in the pexeso game to form a rectangular mix. The competitors will then open up two pieces at a time and remove them if they are identical, otherwise put them back. This practice is geared to develop the short-term and figurative memory and attention.
3. "Shifters" practice implies an orienteering map for ski races being cut to make 10 segments indicating two points and the connecting thread in between. The segments will then be glued to the back of the map. The competitors will memorize the check points 1 and 2 and the connecting thread, to find them on the front side, with the performance checked by matching when allowed. The practice is geared to improve figurative memory and attention.
4. Objects-finding on the map, with the competitors checking every object found (non-scaled objects, pits, bumps, etc.) under time pressure. The practice is designed to improve attention.
Given in Table 1 hereunder are the ACMT progress test data of the sample.
As demonstrated by the above test data, EG was tested with a significant progress versus RG in the attention control and memorizing skills tests; with both groups tested with significantly different progress on the thinking skills scale (p> 0.05).
Conclusion. The study data and analyses showed the new orienteering sport model being beneficial for the ACMT (attention control, memorizing and thinking) skills of the sample, with particularly significant progress found in the attention control and memorizing skills tests. Therefore, the new orienteering sport model may be recommended as complementary to the standard academic physical education and sports curricula for its proven psychophysical progress benefits and growing popularity in the young people's communities.
Table 1. Pre- versus post-experimental ACMT test data of the EG (n=9) and RG (n=9)
Tests Test stage EG RG P
X ± a X ± a
Attention control, s Pre-exp. 36,0 ± 5,36 36,1 ± 3,22 >0,05
Post-exp. 31,8 ± 3,29 34,0 ± 6,42 < 0,05
P p < 0,05 p>0,05
Memorizing, count Pre-exp. 5,0 ± 1,12 5,1 ± 1,11 >0,05
Post-exp. 7,0 ± 1,58 5,2 ± 1,42 < 0,05
P p < 0,05 p>0,05
Thinking, errors Pre-exp. 9,0 ± 4,58 8,0 ± 1,58 >0,05
Post-exp. 8,0 ± 1,58 8,1 ± 1,42 >0,05
P p>0,05 p>0,05
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