engleski

The proportion of fifth grade non-swimmers in Požega-Slavonia county

The aim of this paper is to determine the proportion of non-swimmers in the fifth grade of primary school and possible differences between genders. Additionally, the research attempted to establish the number of pupils who attended swimming lessons, but did not learn how to swim, as well as the reasons for still not being able to swim. The research was carried out on a sample of 619 fifth graders (335 male and 284 female pupils) in primary schools in Požega-Slavonia county in Croatia. The respondents completed a questionnaire designed for this research which contained five questions. Frequency and percentage of answers were calculated and χ² test was used for determining differences. The results indicate that 29.24% (n=181) of pupils do not know how to swim and 70.76% can swim. Significant differences between genders were not observed since 56.90 % of nonswimmers are boys and 43.10% are girls (χ² 0, 799 ; p= 0, 371). Out of the total number of non-swimmers, 81.21% tried to learn how to swim, whereas 18.78% never attempted to learn to swim. The most common reasons for not being able to swim are lack of interest (38.25%), no opportunities to learn (30.87%), fear of water (13.42%) and other reasons (17.45%). The pupils stated that they were taught how to swim by their parents (38.68%) or by a professional swimming teacher (15, 32%), and others (64, 00%). The research shows that almost 305 of pupils in grade five still do not know how to swim and the main reasons are lack of interest and opportunity to learn and fear of water. Since swimming has numerous health benefits and is also an important skill for personal safety and one of the main causes of children dying tragically, it is essential to make the public aware of its importance and to decrease the number of non- swimmers.

swimming, non-swimmers, swimming lessons

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