Summary: The article presents the results of studies of the structure of motivation of sports activities of athletes of high qualification with mental and physical development disorders. The dominant motivational tendencies of athletes with visual and the musculoskeletal system impairments, which are based on the need of material prosperity and social recognition, are revealed. It was determined that in a group of highly skilled athletes with visual impairments the motivation to succeed dominates, whereas a motivational tendency of failure avoiding dominated in the group of elite athletes with disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Key words: motivation of sports activities, athletes with mental and physical development impairments, paralympic sports.
Physical education and sport
УДК 159.9+615.851
Boyko G. N.
Doctor of Pedagogics, Professor
Poltava Institute of Economics and Law
Poltava National Technical Yuri Kondratyuk University
Voloshko L. B.
Ph. D., docent, Poltava National Technical Yuri Kondratyuk University
STRUCTURE OF MOTIVATION OF SPORTS ACTIVITY OF ATHLETES IN PARALYMPIC SPORT
Summary: The article presents the results of studies of the structure of motivation of sports activities of athletes of high qualification with mental and physical development disorders. The dominant motivational tendencies of athletes with visual and the musculoskeletal system impairments, which are based on the need of material prosperity and social recognition, are revealed. It was determined that in a group of highly skilled athletes with visual impairments the motivation to succeed dominates, whereas a motivational tendency of failure avoiding dominated in the group of elite athletes with disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Key words: motivation of sports activities, athletes with mental and physical development impairments, paralympic sports.
Motivational sphere of an athlete’s personality consists of a group of social needs that characterize his/her relations with a personal coach and the overall training process. The dominant need serves as a background motivator which determines an athlete's ability at a particular moment. In sporting activity a motivator is formed on the basis of correlation between an athlete’s needs and his/her own capabilities and specific characteristics of a particular kind sport, which ensures the development of a respective motivation [2]. Thus, motivation of sporting activity can be defined as an athlete’s specific personality state that is formed as a result of the interaction of a set of motivators and a person’s own needs and capabilities. It is a motivation that underpins goal-oriented activity of an athlete.
According to scientists, motivation should be considered not only as an athlete’s ability to focus on achieving a specific goal, but also as a process of approaching it [1]. In turn, a goal is a conscious expectation of performance toward which an athlete’s need-satisfaction-subordinate efforts are directed. From psychological view point, the goal is to motivate and challenge consciousness as perceived by the athlete towards the expected outcome of the goal.
A motivational pattern of the highest athletic accomplishments comprises of three components: motivational, basic and procedural. The motivational component combines the degree of an athlete’s orientation on addressing his/her needs for self-assertion, self-realization and financial remuneration. The basic component rests on the level of the athlete’s interest in favorable social and living conditions provided by sporting activities, his/her focus on the accumulation of expertise and skills, as well as recognizing their absence. The procedural component reflects the level of an athlete’s interest in the accumulation of information about competitors, the absence of psychogenic factors that adversely affect the ability become involved in sports competition.
Explicit motivation to compete primarily comes from strong volitional traits. Apart from a strong will, essential motivation components of competition activities include an athlete’s self-esteem and his/her level of aspiration. Therefore, a goal set by an athlete is determined by past performance effectiveness, successes and failures, as well as by the ability to realistically assess the current situation [1]. It has been proved that high realistic goals which are based on self-acceptance and corresponding level of aspiration guarantees outstanding sports efficiency.
Methodology: theoretical analysis and systematization of data available from specialized scientific and methodological literature, empirical – discussions, interviews of trainers and athletes, psychognostic – a questionnaire initially developed by B. Kretti and upgraded by I. Yurov aimed to determine a motivational pattern and to assess motivation intensity of sporting activities of athletes with nosology; achievement motivation and failure avoidance (questionnaire test developed by M. Muhammad-Eminov); statistical – the method of averages, χ2 – criterion, t- criterion, the correlation coefficient (r), using STATISTICA-6 software program for Windows and Microsoft Excel.
The study objective is to determine specific features of motivational patterns for sporting activity and dominant motivational tendencies, and to identify specific motivational sphere depending on the athletes’ qualification level for further consideration of the data in the system of psycho-pedagogical support for elite athletes and athletes of high qualification in their training and competitive activities.
Scientific literature actively discusses issues related to the nature of the impact of motivation on athletes’ resistance to stressors during competitions [2]. A variety of factors may cause athletes’ emotional instability, including characteristics of their nervous system, temperament, motivation, the level of aspiration, behavioral patterns, specific knowledge, skills, etc. Thus, motivation for sporting activity is rightfully regarded as a major psychological factor which ensures high athletic performance.
In the motivational sphere half-conscious and unconscious intrinsic needs are effectively and actively at work. Conscious needs are those connected with an accurate idea of what an athlete seeks to achieve. Unconscious needs manifest themselves as a variety of desires, which are based on the subjective feeling of something missing, but an athlete has no idea as to what needs to be done to reduce the tension resulted from these unconscious desires. It should be noted that in contrast to needs, the purpose of sports activity is always conscious and is viewed by researchers as the final "product" of mental processes by which an athlete tries to solve contradictions between sporting activity demands, its specific conditions, and an athlete’s own capabilities and abilities to adjust to these conditions and requirements. Thus, the goal of sporting activity is a regulator of the athlete’s efforts that determines the choice of specific means to achieve the desired result.
Identifying and adjusting the current content and conditions for the implementation the system of psycho- pedagogical support in training and competitive activities of swimmers with psychophysical disabilities to Paralympic sport is determined by the content, methods, teaching techniques, tools and features of the system of training athletes with different nosology and of different functional classes, athletic preparedness and competitive activities. Diagnostics research aimed at studying the characteristics of mental and personal development of athletes as the main subjects of psycho-pedagogical support and monitoring the dynamics of the studied parameters in all periods of their training, the correlation of the data structure with the features of the competitive activities of athletes specializing in different types of competitive program provides science-based planning of EA and HQA with visual impairments and musculoskeletal disorders with taking into account the pedagogical and psychological factors that influence the formation of their preparedness for effective competitive activities. In particular, the formation of optimal motivational foundation of sports activities for persons with impaired mental and physical development and further improvement of the key properties of the psyche that influence the effectiveness of training and competitive activities for athletes depending on the particular structure and phase composition of competitive activity and the nature, depth and extent of irreversible injury, requirements regulated by competition rules, as defined in IPC (International Paralympic Committee) for athletes of each of the functional classes.
Our research allowed us to ascertain the peculiarities of the impact of multi-year preparation and successful performance of athletes of high qualification with visual impairments and musculoskeletal disorders on the specificity of their motivational patterns for sporting activities and dominant motivational tendencies. We have taken into account the results of previous studies of scientists, who distinguished motivation as a trigger mechanism of the sporting activity that ensures maintaining the desired activity level of athletes, regulates its content, and determines the choice of modes of activities during training sessions and competitions. Motivational strength and stability are related to the athlete’s capabilities to meet his/her own needs in a particular kind of activity.
Our long-term research aimed at specifying the content of the psychological component in training swimmers of high qualification with visual impairments and musculoskeletal disorders proved that in order to form athletes’ willingness for highly effective competition activity it is essential to form specific personality traits for a particular kind of sport and also to correct and compensate these traits while preparing for the most demanding competitions. It is ascertained that in sports swimming not only one motivator functions but a set of important motivators. Motivators interact with each other to form dynamic sets. Our psychognostic studies enabled us to describe a motivational pattern of EA and HQA swimmers with visual impairments and musculoskeletal disorders and its impact on achieving the highest level of sportsmanship. Studies showed that an athlete’s need for social approval through the system of financial remuneration and moral incentives is one of the key elements of the motivational patterns for sporting activity of swimmers of high qualification with visual impairments and musculoskeletal disorders. At a 5% significant level it is proved that the intensity of motivation of male swimmers with visual impairments and musculoskeletal disorders is dependent on their achievements in Paralympic sport.
In summary, the findings on the motivational sphere of EA and HQA swimmers with visual impairments and musculoskeletal disorders combined with other individual psychological and personality traits are to be recorded in the individual athlete card (see the sample). These are analyzed and taken into account when specifying a psychological component of psycho-pedagogical support for paralympic swimmers in their training and competition activities.
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