Motivation of Students upon Physical Education at the University of Customs and Finance

Abstract

In accordance with the competence approach, the becoming of a future specialist involves the development of not only intellectual but also physical component of personality, resulting in the need to update the methodology of physical education of students and encourage physical selfimprovement in particular. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the need to develop students' motivation in the process of physical education, as exemplified by pedagogical activities of teachers of the University of Customs and Finance. The study was conducted in three stages using scientific-theoretical and empirical methods of cognition, including analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalisation, and survey. It was found that the practices of physical education of students are developed according to the individual motivating factor. The main interpretations of the category “motivation” in the context of historical retrospect are defined, as a result of which attention was focused on the perception of motivation as an incentive to meet personal needs. An empirical study was conducted in the form of a survey of first and second year students in order to characterise the initial level of motivation for physical education classes. The study has identified such key motivational factors for physical education of students as health, aesthetic, professional-oriented, administrative-obligatory and status. A list of basic methods of stimulating students to engage in physical culture in view of Ukrainian practices (modular and “score” systems, use of media, combination of physical development of both team and individual components, etc.) and foreign practices (use of digital technologies, perception of teacher's authority as method of motivation, the development of a positive psychological climate and giving autonomy to students). Prospects for further research are considered in the re-conduct of empirical research to confirm the effectiveness of the application of updated methods of motivating students to engage in physical education