The Influence of Professional Education on the Physical, Development of Girls

Abstract

The basic material for this study originates from 4-yearlong longitudinal studies carried out in 2 secondary schools in Łódź. The studies covered 77 girls in the age from 16 to 19 years including 42 girls attending the General Education Secondary School, and 35 girls attending the Textile Technical School. 

In all girls the health conditions, sex maturity, level of physical development on the basis of somatic and physiological indices were evaluated.

It was found that there was an initial selection conditioned by social factors and somatic predispositions (posture) in girls recruited to schools of different education profiles. Throughout their whole education period, in the girls of the Textile Technical School the length features and the features of two skin-folds were slightly decreased which was the result of less favorable socio-economic conditions in which they lived. The education in professional school is associated with some amount of physical work and it leads to the achievement of a slightly higher developmental level of some somatic features.

The figure of girls terminating the Textile Technical School in comparison with that of the General Education School girls was characterized by a weaker length factor but a better accentuated massiveness of bone and muscle structure of the upper body part and slightly higher percentage of fat.

In the girls of both types of schools a deterioration of the aerobic capacity level was noted in the age of 18 years. This fact suggests that the program of motor activities realized in the physical education classes, particularly in the higher forms is not sufficient for the maintaining of the achieved level of efficiency.