USE OF THE AQUACITY TEST AS A TOOL FOR ANALYZING THE LEVEL OF BEGINNER SWIMMING STUDENTS

Abstract

Swimming is a popular, low-impact activity that can be practiced throughout life. Furthermore, it is a sport that can contribute to the development of skills that can prevent drowning by improving aquacity. Even so, its practice requires precautions and constant monitoring. Creating suitable environments for swimming, combined with the choice of effective pedagogical assessment and monitoring strategies, can favor children's learning, promoting both their well-being and safety. The aim of the study was to identify potentialities and limitations in the use of the “aquacity test” as a tool for analyzing the progress of students aged 10 to 13 who are starting swimming lessons. The methodology is a qualitative-quantitative longitudinal study carried out from 2022-25, with swimming students, adolescent students of Elementary School (6th grade) from the public network, from Colégio de Aplicação Fernando Rodrigues da Silveira (CAp UERJ) located in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All 6th grade elementary school students at the school investigated who were interested in participating in the safer swimming project with free classes were considered eligible. The results showed that it was possible to compare the students' changes after 12 weeks of swimming lessons using the aquacity test tool. Using records of 10 pedagogical contents and their evolution allowed providing feedback to students, parents and swimming teachers regarding students' worsening, stagnation and improvement. The evaluator's lack of knowledge of the ten test items may limit the tool's effectiveness. Applying the test with trained teachers is a free and useful way to monitor the performance of beginner swimming students. It is noteworthy that 90% of individuals who are beginning to swim, on their first day of lessons, are able to move through the water “doggy style” for 3 meters, even without having ever taken swimming lessons and without mastering other essential skills for swimming and preventing drowning. These results reinforce the need for constant attention in young people who think they know how to swim, but do not have essential aquatic survival skills and can drown in deep water. It can be concluded that the assessment tool called the aquacity test is easy to apply and provides the result of ten contents that can be, in addition to being measured, developed in swimming classes with a focus on preventing drowning.