Digital technologies for the development of self-regulation in cadets

Introduction. Well-developed self-regulation skills are one of the most important conditions for the effective performance of military personnel involved in intensive physical and mental activities. Self-regulation skills are to be developed during academic tasks, which require state-of-the-art methods, including those based on digital technologies. Aims. This study was aimed at developing and testing the methodology for the enhancement of self-regulation skills in cadets. Materials and methods. The experiment involved 60 first-year male cadets (ages 17-22) of the Military Institute of the National Guard of Russia. Three study groups were formed, two experimental (EG-1; EG-2) groups and one control (CG) group. The homogeneity of the sample was confirmed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. The experimental groups used autogenic training skills acquired with the help of specially developed computer programs. These skills were aimed at compensating for the consequences of artificial stress (EG-1; EG-2). In EG-1, the subjects also received feedback about changes in their response time, attention, and memory. Self-regulation measurements were performed with V. Morosanova’s Style of behavior self-regulation method. Successful self-regulation was estimated in terms of response time, memory productivity, and attention. Results. The experiment demonstrated significant intergroup differences (the Mann-Whitney U test). EG-1 showed the greatest increase in the level of self-regulation, and the results of EG-2 also significantly differed from those of the control group. Conclusion: the proposed method is effective for cadets. Digital technologies increase the effectiveness of training thanks to feedback about the status of self-regulation at various stages of the program.