Variable physical training program for students with different types of goal achievement motivation and its influence on indicators of physical and mental well-being

Abstract

The article examines the problem of mismatch between unified physical education programs and the individual-psychological characteristics of students, primarily the type of achievement motivation, which can increase the stressfulness of classes and reduce their health-improving effect. The significance of physical culture as a means of psychophysiological regulation and adaptation to loads in the educational environment is substantiated, where competitive requirements act as a mobilization factor for some students and as a source of distress and functional overstrain for others. The results of a year-long pedagogical experiment with stratified randomization (428 students aged 18-20) are presented, in which experimental and control groups were formed with dominance of success achievement motivation and failure avoidance motivation; the motivational profile was diagnosed using standardized questionnaires. The variable program for «achievers» included competitive methods and high-intensity interval impacts, whereas for «avoiders» the emphasis was placed on strictly regulated exercises, individual tasks, moderate power zones, and situations of guaranteed success without public comparison. The comprehensive assessment covered tests of physical fitness (speed-strength and endurance), functional tests (Ruffier index, orthostatic test), heart rate variability parameters, and indicators of mental well-being (SAN, anxiety). It is shown that the differentiation of load organization ensures a more pronounced increase in results and functional «economization» of regulation: in students with failure avoidance motivation, statistically significant improvements in endurance and strength were recorded, a sharp decrease in the stress index of regulatory systems, and a substantial improvement in the Ruffier index, accompanied by a decline in situational anxiety and an increase in mood. For the success-oriented group, the competitive and result-oriented model was also effective, confirming the principle of matching pedagogical means to the motivational profile as a condition for simultaneously strengthening physical and mental well-being.