Hiking and mountaineering represent a part of Slovenian national identity. Accessible to all, they positively affect both the body and mental health. To ensure safety in the mountains and perform these activities with ease, we use different equipment and supplies. An indispensable piece of equipment for mountaineering are trekking poles, which are used by all generations. However, they are less popular among primary school students, and some experts even advise against their use. We use poles in alpine skiing as well, which is another important part of Slovenian national identity. Ski poles are used by most children and are never advised against by experts. The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to examine the opinion of pedagogical workers about the use of poles for hiking and skiing among primary school students.
The empirical part presents the results of the research, which was conducted using the descriptive research method. The data was gathered with a questionnaire completed by primary teachers, physical education teachers, and respondents with the titles: alpine skiing teacher (titles gained before and after the change of the Sports Act), mountain guide (guide of the Alpine Association of Slovenia), mountaineering group mentor, teacher of cross-country skiing (titles gained before and after the change of the Sports Act), and teacher of Nordic walking (titles gained before and after the change of the Sports Act). The survey included 291 participants. Quantitative analysis was used to process the gathered data, applying different statistical methods: calculating absolute (f) and relative (f%) frequencies, standard deviation, calculating the average, minimum and maximum value, Chi-square test of independence, and the Kullback 2Î test, in which the homogenous variance conditions for the Chi-square test of independence were not met.
We concluded that few primary school students use trekking poles, and many use them incorrectly. Most primary students use trekking poles only for hiking technically difficult trails and for trails lasting several days while carrying heavy backpacks. Many physical education teachers and respondents with the specified titles regularly suggest that students use trekking poles, while primary education teachers mostly never do. Most respondents, however, would suggest the use of trekking poles for technically difficult or longer trails. The answers about the preliminary education on the use of trekking poles were very similar. Physical education teachers and the respondents with the specified titles teach about the correct use of trekking poles beforehand, while primary education teachers do not. Nevertheless, all believe in the importance of the preliminary introduction of both trekking and skiing poles. They also believe in the benefits of additional exercises for the correct use of trekking poles before the trip. Regarding skiing poles, most respondents suggested that they should be used only after the students master the skiing technique since the poles impede the efforts of the students otherwise. They would also not recommend the use of trekking poles for skiing since they might collapse. We expected the respondents to be better informed on the topic of balance. When answering the question about the effect of trekking poles on the development of balance in children, most of them replied that they did not know the answer, while many replied that they believe that poles negatively influence the development of balance. Few replied that poles encourage proper movement (coordination) and improve balance. A small percentage of respondents believe that trekking poles do not significantly affect the development of balance and other movement skills.
There were no differences in the opinions of pedagogical workers on the use of trekking and ski poles. Similarly, there were no statistically important differences in their opinion regarding the influence of trekking poles on the development of balance in children. According to these answers, we believe that pedagogical workers have considerable knowledge on this topic. They could, however, extend their knowledge of the effect of poles on movement skills, as well as on the topic of movement skills in general.
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