| Summary: | I. The problem and purpose of this research:
According to the requirements of the Army the South-African Republic its men should attain a high degree of physical fitness by means of an effective military training. Whether the secondary schoolboy at the end of his matriculation year complies with these requirements of the Army, has still been a debatable point.
Investigators proved convincingly that physical fitness implies strength, endurance, speed of movement, and skill. (Chapter II). These elements can all be measured by means of relevant tests (Chapter IV).
The researcher’s primary problem was to measure the physical fitness of some of the recruits who completed the basic course of physical training in the Army.
The second problem was to measure the physical fitness of a group of schoolboys in their final Matriculation year.
The third problem was to compare the physical fitness of the recruits and the schoolboys, with a view to establishing scientifically, amongst others, the differences in achievement there might have been.
II. The method of research:
After a review of the literature concerning the measurement of physical fitness (Chapter IV) a preliminary test battery of thirteen test items was constructed. By means of statistical compilation a final test battery of four test items, viz. chinnings, 60 yards shuttle run, standing broad jump and 800 feet shuttle run was constructed. In addition, age, height and body weight were also recorded.
The test groups consisted of seventy five boys in certain secondary schools of the Transvaal Education Department, and seventy five recruits of the South-African Army (Chapter VII). The subjects were tested during September 1965. The data of these tests were statistically compiled (Chapter VIII).
III. The results of the research:
1. The belief that schoolboys in their final Matriculation year are not physically fit to be subjected to a military training program, is absurd. The three months basic physical training of the Army, as has been established, has no significant influence on the physical fitness obtained while they were at school.
2. The test achievements of the two groups indicate a highly significant difference between the schoolboys and the results in respect of age, the latter being one year older that the former.
3. Secondly, there is no significant difference – according to the tests to which both groups were subjected – in the physical fitness indices of the recruits and the schoolboys. Thus the belief that schoolboys in their final secondary school year are not sufficiently physically fit to undergo the military training program compiled for out Army’s recruit, has been proved to be completely erroneous.
4. In two of the test items, namely the pull-up strength and the standing broad jump, the difference between the scores of the two groups was insignificant. In the test for speed the recruits achieved a better score that the schoolboys but the latter excelled the recruits in the test measuring endurance, === Thesis (MA)--PU vir CHO
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