Improving high school students’ somatic and mental health through interactive methods of physical education

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of using interactive methods of physical education to improve the physical and psycho-emotional state of high school students. Materials and Methods: The research involved 42 high schoolers (boys) aged 16-17. Two groups were formed (CG and EG) of 21 persons in each. Mainly interactive physical education methods in the natural environment were used in the physical education of the EG schoolers. In the CG, the traditional method of physical education was used, which included various types of physical exercises with the predominant use of the reproductive method. The following indicators were studied: the level of somatic health according to the method of H. L. Apanasenko; the level of mental health according to the WAM questionnaire. Results: A methodology for physical education of high schoolers has been proposed, which includes the predominant use of interactive methods, in particular creative motor tasks, game interactivity (outdoor games, sports games, psycho-technical games, quests), active walks, competitions, orienteering, hiking, geocaching, etc. Testing the methodology’s effectiveness shows that EG schoolers showed significantly better results than those of the CG in all the studied indicators due to the introduction of interactive methods in the process of their physical education. Conclusions: As a result of physical exercises according to the author’s methodology with the use of interactive physical education methods, the EG schoolers revealed a significant improvement in the indicators of psycho-emotional state, as well as the functional state of the main life support systems of the body.