The Effect of Physical Activity on Attention Indicators of Schoolchildren

Background. Sedentary lifestyle of schoolchildren has a negative impact not only on physical abilities, but also on mental processes. The relationship between physical activity of schoolchildren and indicators of their attention has not been studied in depth. Objectives. To determine the effect of physical activity in physical education lessons on the attention indicators of children 15-16 years. Methods. The study was conducted in a secondary school in Russia, it was attended by ninth graders in the number of 141 schoolchildren by random sampling. The main research method was the “Trondyke Test”, which determines the level of attention development of schoolchildren. The test was used before and after the physical education lesson 1 time per month for 5 months. Results. Children who did not engage in physical education in the lesson were not able to significantly improve their performance in the test, which indicates a possible adaptation to the test after its first performance before the lesson. Children who were engaged in physical exercises were able to significantly increase the test results. The situation for children who were engaged in a physical education lesson. In each of the five months, the test indicators improved significantly, on average from 14.9% to 17.1% (p<0.05). Conclusions. For the first time the results obtained determine the effectiveness of the influence of a physical education lesson at school on the indicators of children's attention 15-16 years. This study will serve as an additional motivation for children to engage in physical culture, since the impact of physical exercises has a positive effect not only on the development of physical qualities, but also on the attention of schoolchildren.