Improving students’ physical fitness and motivation in swimming classes using digital technologies

The article examines the motivation of students to engage in swimming classes and substantiates the feasibility of using digital technologies in the process of physical education. The study was conducted through a questionnaire survey aimed at identifying students’ attitudes toward swimming, their motivation, perceived benefits of training, and the level of use of digital applications for monitoring physical activity. The results of the survey showed that most students have a generally positive attitude toward swimming; however, the level of intrinsic motivation and self-control skills remains insufficient, and digital monitoring tools are used by a limited number of students. The main motivational factors for students are the desire to improve health and physical fitness, while motivation related to enjoyment and emotional satisfaction from swimming is less pronounced. Based on the obtained data, an author’s swimming training program using digital monitoring tools was developed and implemented. The program involved the use of fitness trackers and mobile applications to monitor heart rate, swimming distance, pace, and training load, which allowed for the individualization of the educational and training process. The structure of the training sessions included preparatory, main, and final parts and provided a gradual increase in physical load intensity. The results of the pedagogical experiment confirmed a significant improvement in students’ physical fitness indicators, including strength, speed, agility, and coordination abilities. In addition, an increase in students’ motivation, satisfaction with swimming classes, and the development of self-control skills were observed. The study proved the effectiveness of using digital monitoring technologies in swimming classes to improve physical fitness and increase students’ motivation for systematic physical activity.