Motor Fitness and Social Development in 13 Year Old Pupils from Poland

The aim of this study was the examination of relationships between real motor fitness of grammar-school pupils and their life styles. The study was based on the results of The International Fitness Test obtained from 216 persons (111 girls and 105 boys) in two selected schools in Poznań. Additionally there was a self-evaluation questionnaire used to collect data about leisure time activities, physical activities, life style etc. After analysing the results of the motor fitness test, all material was divided into three qualifying-sections. Results show that tested subjects with a high level of motor fitness also rated themselves high. This confirmed the relationship between high self-estimation of health and high level of motor fitness. Over half of the tested girls and boys with an average level of motor fitness assessed their own state of health as good. Similar assessments prevailed among pupils from a low-level group of motor fitness. It was hypothesised that traditional school curricula do not pay enough attention to moral education and a specially designed moral education program enhances the moral development of school pupils. The data collected supported the hypothesis of an insufficient influence of traditional school curricula on the moral development of those tested and proved that specially designed moral education programs are effective in that area of general social education. The results suggest that emphasis needs to be put on sportsmanlike behaviour and on rules compliance, which was neglected by the tested pupils.