TRADITIONAL VALUES IN THE MODERN EDUCATIONAL SPACE: THE EDUCATIONAL POTENTIAL OF RUSSIAN FOLK SONGS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION OF STUDENTS

Abstract

The article explores means of patriotic education for university students within elective physical education and sports disciplines. It proceeds from the premise that the musical accompaniment of a class sets its tempo and emotional tone, whereas the foreign pop tracks commonly used in fitness carry little semantic content and therefore fail to serve educational goals. The study aims to substantiate the feasibility and expediency of using Russian folk songs in modern arrangements as accompaniment for step aerobics classes. The research was conducted over one academic year at a university in Rostov-on-Don; the sample comprised female students aged 17–24 enrolled in general physical training. The methods included pedagogical observation, questionnaires and attendance analysis; classes were held both in university gyms and in a city park, which made it possible to record bystanders’ reactions. At the first stage, popular foreign dance tracks were used; at the second, the repertoire was replaced with Russian folk songs in fast modern arrangements (“Kalinka-Malinka”, “Katyusha”, “Kadril”, “Korobeyniki”, “Matushka Zemlya”, among others) and original Cossack-themed songs. Following the change, participants began to sing along, their movements became more ample and expressive, synchrony improved, and the number of late arrivals and unjustified absences decreased. After three months, the questionnaire revealed improved mood and motivation to exercise, familiarity with new folk songs, and a positive assessment of Russian music. Approval from passers-by, especially older people, was recorded as an additional form of social reinforcement. The author acknowledges the limitations – the absence of a control group, the small sample size and the predominantly qualitative methods – and concludes that the approach merits integration into university physical education practice, subject to further quantitative research.