The master's thesis aimed to determine the differences in the effects of the initial swimming lessons with or without fins in preschool children, according to the final swimming distance. The research was conducted on a sample of 50 subjects aged 5 and 6 years. They were divided into an experimental (fins) and a control (no fins) group. The swimming course lasted 5 hours, 5 days of one hour practice a day. On the first and last days, we tested the children with a swimming knowledge test in breaststroke, measuring the distance they swam in meters. The results were converted into ordinal data (scores from 1 to 5). No statistically significant differences were found between the subjects in the experimental and control groups in the final swimming distance. We assume that the test results were influenced by differences in the physical, motor, social, emotional and cognitive development of children, as well as the duration and conditions for the implementation of the course and other limitations of the sample and the measurement procedure. We found that the use of fins in initial swimming lessons does not affect the final swimming distance. Still, they can be a useful didactic tool for improving learning quality and acquiring knowledge, as well as increasing children's motivation to learn. We conclude that learning to swim with fins in terms of swimming distance and acquired knowledge is more effective in older children who are at a higher level of development, as well as those who are already comfortable in the water and have previous swimming experience.
|
