Characteristics of mental capacity of secondary schoolchildren in the conditions of implementation of various educational programs
Authors: Sotnikova-Meleshkina Zhanna , Dudnyk Iryna , Rebrova Yuliia , Arzhannikov Ivan 
Published: April 2023

Introduction. The growth of information load in the context of the introduction of the latest educational programs puts forward increased demands on the psychophysiological capabilities of the organism of schoolchildren, creates serious emotional, cognitive and physical problems. Mental capacity is considered as a characteristic of an individual’s ability to perform educational activities and a prognostic criterion for the development of fatigue. Purpose: to determine the dynamic features of mental capacity indicators in the implementation of traditional and meritocratic educational program. Materials and methods. The research involved 56 students of the 9th year of study, divided into 2 groups depending on the educational program. The level of mental capacity was assessed with the help of V. Anfimov’s proofreading samples throughout the cycle of studying subjects of different levels of severity and educational industries with a simultaneous assessment of the study schedule. One-factor analysis of variance and t-test in the IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software package were used for statistical data processing. Results. An analysis of the mental capacity of students of different gender groups revealed a higher level of it in girls in terms of quantitative (437.75 ± 5.14 signs), qualitative (7.20 ± 0.24 errors) and complex indicator (38.23 ± 0.53 units; p < 0.01). The degree of influence of the educational program on accuracy and performance was determined; type of subject – the number of traced signs and errors, the coefficient of productivity of mental work; day of the week – on the initial and final level of the volume and accuracy of the test (p < 0.001). It was found that the most productive lessons are from the 2nd to the 4th, the day is Monday, the subjects are Ukrainian Language and English. The lowest productivity of mental l work was revealed in the lessons of Geometry and Computer Science, the 7th lesson and days with the maximum study load were determined to be the most critical. Under the meritocratic system, a lower level of accuracy was recorded regardless of the educational field and the severity of the subject (p < 0.01) and work productivity with its significant decrease in the educational fields «Languages and Literature» and «Natural Science» and an increase of 10 % after the lessons of a mathematical profile. Conclusion. The gender characteristics of mental capacity for work, as well as the influence of the educational program, the type of subject in the educational field and difficulty, the place of the lesson in the daily and weekly schedule on the quality and productivity of work have been established. With the introduction of the meritocratic system, a more favorable schedule of training sessions was formed, which ensures more effective assimilation of educational material. The motivation of students and a reasonable approach to their selection for training in a specific educational program with a certain prospect of acquiring basic knowledge for a future profession ensures an increase in the intensity and productivity of mental work of schoolchildren at the stage of transition to specialized education.