Yu.M. Nikolaev, professor, Dr.Hab.
M.A. Safronova
Lesgaft National state university of physical culture, sport and health, St. Petersburg

Key words: modern theory of physical culture, fundamental trends, manifestations.

In the late ХХ and early XXI centuries the need for modernization of general education increases in our country due to the increase of its culture forming, humanistic and methodological functions [4, 5]. This also fully applies to the field of professional education in the field of physical culture designed to train future-oriented scientific and pedagogical staff. In connection with this, it becomes extremely important both from methodological and practical points of view to form the theory of physical culture (TPhC) that meets the needs of our time.

The issue of the formation of this theory has been on the agenda for 35 years already, since the introduction of the theory and methodology of physical culture (T/and methodology/PhC) instead of the theory of physical education (TPhEd) into the curriculum of the institutes of physical culture (IPhC) in 1979. However, today the former actually duplicates the content of what used to be TPhEd that does not fully meet complex challenges of education in the field of physical culture. At the same time a wide range of theoretical and methodological materials has been accumulated in the context of formation of the TPhC over the years. Therefore, at present, it is important to identify in it any tendencies in the formation and development of the TPhC in order to bring more clarity into this issue. In this case, we understand the tendency as a trend: “… in which the development of a phenomenon takes place” [10] or the trend of development of science “… that characterizes its progress, realization of accumulated opportunities” [15], while the notion of “formation” indicates transition states leading to design of objects or phenomena, emphasizing “incompleteness” and the need to constantly “add on”, improve [14].

The purpose of the study was to make a scientific and methodological analysis of the fundamental trends of formation and development of the theory of physical culture.

Results and discussion. The theoretical analysis of the broad array of information since the 60s of the ХХ century up to now, regarding in some way the issues of formulation of the theory of physical culture (TPhC) (including those related to the evolution of the deeper understanding of the nature of physical culture; its developing updated conceptual and methodological framework; differentiation of the structure of the phenomenon itself; integrative content of theoretical aspects of the knowledge about physical culture; increasing number of its functions and many other aspects), - testifies to the significant progress of knowledge in this area.

It is possible to identify the fundamental trends of formation and development of theoretical knowledge (TPhC) in the field of physical culture for a specified period of time - as general scientific (associated with the general laws of development of the science, such as the ongoing advancing development of the modern TPhC; its strive for integrative nature; culture conformable convergence; systemacy in consideration; human creative orientation; continuity in development; increasing role of theory) and private scientific (associated with specific substantial features of its development, such as dynamic development of the modern TPhC, internal integration of its content; modification of the methodological framework, strive for spirituality (humanized nature); tiered organization of theory; humanization, democratization, humanitarization; acquisition of independence; expanding the range of functionality). They are mutually conditioned and interrelated, and are displayed in specific forms.

We will hereby provide a brief description of the trends we identified, indicating the forms of their manifestation.

The general scientific trend of “The ongoing advancing development” of modern TPhC (conditioned by its evolutionary movement towards a highly organized, more complex form that corresponds to the dynamics of social and cultural changes in a society where a conversion of one object into another takes place - the transition from TPhEd to T/and methodology/PhC, and from it to modern TPhC as an integrative theory) is closely related to such a private scientific trend as “Dynamic development” (manifested in accelerating the pace of its development in connection with the further justification and discovering the deep essence of physical culture, differentiation of the development of its content, interconnection with the philosophical, culturological and methodological orientations of science in the recent period where the overall cultural vector associated with the understanding of the “spiritual and physical”, man-creating essence of physical culture, should be fundamental in the development of knowledge about it).

The interrelation of these trends is manifested in such forms as:

• a steady increase in the number of components, types of physical activity and physical culture (based on the growing needs of people);
• a wider range of opportunities for the manifestation of types of activities that make up the structure of a personality in the field of physical culture;
• increase in the number of groups of functions and values.

The general scientific trend “Strive for integrative nature” (external, interdisciplinary) (conditioned by a personality-centered paradigm that regards the formation of integral man of paramount importance, thus changing the angle of research from singling out individual content-related aspects of an object to disclosing their internal interdependent content, systematically linking the humanities and being expressed in the integration, synthesizing of knowledge [7, 15], including theoretical knowledge in the field of physical culture) is closely related to such a private scientific trend of the modern TPhC as “Internal integration of the content” (manifested in the formation of its theoretical and integrative aspect that interfused all its internal content from the 70s of the XX till early XXI centuries, as a large amount of factual and methodological material accumulated during this period, requiring its integration and providing an opportunity to meet new challenges within the framework of modern TPhC).

The interrelation of these trends is manifested in such forms as:

• unity and interrelation of all the components, types of physical activity and physical culture;
• interdependence of functional, value, activity and efficiency aspects of physical culture;
• desire to find an integrative factor that unites all.

The general scientific trend  “The growing role of methodology” (conditioned by the need to bring together the scientific world view, increasing integrative trends in science, humanitarization and complication of sociocultural reality [6, 13], which is impossible to do without the support of methodological knowledge and requires a review of the disciplinary methodology with regards to the formation of the modern TPhC, as these issues cannot be fully solved using the cumulative/accumulated T/and methodology/PhC) is closely related to such a private scientific trend of the modern TPhC as “Modification of the methodological framework” (which allows to consider it as integrative /and not accumulated - inherent to T/and methodology/PhC/ knowledge,  and all the theoretical and educational space of physical culture in accordance with the methodological levels /philosophical, general scientific, private scientific/ [1, 9], and thus effectively reach a new system of thinking in this area, to raise the status of this theory as a scientific and educational discipline, to review its structure and content).

The interrelation of these trends is manifested in such forms as:

• a change of focus in the research from “parts to whole” (T/and methodology/PhC as a set of theories) to the methodology of the ascent “from the whole to its parts” (TPhC as integrative knowledge);
• the need for correlation of theoretical knowledge in the field of physical culture with the methodological levels: philosophical, general scientific, private scientific;
•  the transition from “training of physical in a person” and “education through the physical” to educating a person both “physically and spiritually”.

The general scientific trend “Culture conformable convergence” (culture-convergence) (stipulated by the pervading nature of culture [3, 4] reinterpreting the agenda of the physical culture science into the broader humanitarian and conceptual cultural context associated with its impact on the formation of the worldview, mental activity, spirituality of man along with the development of his body-motor area, who is capable of self-realization in connection with mastering multiple values not only of physical culture but also of other spheres of human and social life) is closely related to such a private scientific trend of the modern TPhC as “Strive for spirituality (humanized nature)” (defined by its man-creating orientation defining the content of education in the field of physical culture as culture translation /development of the culture of thinking, imagination, emotions, creativity during physical education activities/, aimed at the formation of an integral personality in the unity of its physical and spiritual powers, the latter being those of priority, the formation of culture-centered mental activity throughout all ontogenesis). 

The interrelation of these trends is manifested in such forms as:

• compliance with the law of “rising needs” (associated with the trend of steady increase of personal /spiritual/ human needs and enhancing quality requirements to them);
• interdependence of the development of physical and spiritual cultures with the latter being a priority; 
• understanding of the culture-centered essence of the modern TPhC (as the basis for the manifestation of its potential for the formation of an integral personality).

The general scientific trend “Systemacy in consideration” (since the early 70s of the XX century it has enabled to regard physical culture, in accordance with the philosophical principles of systemacy, as a subsystem of the overall system of culture on the one hand, and as an independent system with its subsystems that interact with one another - on the other [8, 17], that made it possible to form the modern TPhC in terms of methodology basing on the most integrative concepts of culture, to reveal its ideologically-independent role more objectively, to understand different differentiated trends of knowledge with regards to physical culture) is closely related to such a private scientific trend in the field of TPhC as “Tiered organization of theory” (associated with the identification of the independent status of the modern TPhC, which gives reason to change the perceptions of the content and structure of all the rapidly developing theoretical-educational space of physical culture where its types are gradually getting more conceptually organized in the form of their inherent specific theories, thus making it necessary to comprehend them by level).

The interrelation of these trends is manifested in such forms as:

• ideologically and methodologically independent role of the modern TPhC;
• differentiation of types of physical culture in the context of development of their private theories;
• tiered interconnection of theories in the theoretical and educational space of physical culture.

The general scientific trend “Human creative orientation” (conditioned by the revival from the mid 60s - late 80s of the ХХ century of the understanding of man (personality) as a special value and integrity [12], that being a prerequisite for the emergence of the modern humanitarian knowledge, including knowledge in the field of physical culture, as part of the general culture of an individual and society where the central issue of its theory and practice is precisely the “humanization” of the physical /natural/ in man, viewing the physical as personal, preservation, enhancement and (if necessary) recovery of the intellectual, moral, aesthetic status of the physical ability [2]) is closely related to such a private scientific trend in the modern TPhC as “Humanization, democratization, humanitarization” (associated with the strengthening of the role of physical culture in the overall harmonious development of an individual, where in addition to medical, biological and pedagogical aspects of knowledge such aspects as psychological, sociological and cultural should be widely implemented revealing its human creative essence manifested in increasing human capacity for self-realization through physical culture activities, and raising the prestige of physical culture in the society in general). 

The interrelation of these trends is manifested in such forms as:

• strengthening connection of physical culture with the overall culture of man and human society;
• updating the general cultural and human values in the sphere of physical culture in the formation of an integral person;
• strive for accessibility of values of physical culture.

The general scientific trend “Continuity in development” (indicating that a new stage in the development of any phenomenon occurs on the basis of the preceding one with the preservation of all that is valuable and was previously accumulated, and is, in fact, its continuation [16], where in the area of theoretical knowledge about physical culture we actually move from physical training of a person and education through the physical to educating a person both physically and spiritually the latter being a priority - already within the framework of the modern TPhC) is closely related to such a private scientific trend as “Acquisition of independence of the modern TPhC” (where the latter has really been an independent, culture-conforming, integrative theory of an abstract type since the early XXI century, dealing with “the spirit” of man and providing a systematic description of the methodology of scientific development of his physical perfection [9], and not just accumulated knowledge about the transformation of human corporality which is characteristic of  T/and methodology/PhC).

The interrelation of these trends is manifested in such forms as:

• having its own framework of categories and concepts of the modern TPhC;
• basing on the modern conceptual and methodological base that is inherent only to it;
• increasing scientific validity of the content and intensification of the development of TPhC.

The general scientific trend “Increasing role of theories” (accounted for by the fact that one of the most important principles of science is the need for constant striving for highly developed theoretical knowledge, where already in the 80s of the ХХ century the issue of the development intensification for TPhC was seriously raised [11], that being well justified as theory, being the core of scientific knowledge, performs a number of different functions the range of which is constantly growing due to the increase of its importance in human life and effective functioning of the society) is closely related to such a private scientific trend of the modern TPhC as “Expanding the range of functionality” (for the development of theoretical knowledge in the field of physical culture on the background of its deeper understanding /manifested, in particular, in the transition from TPhEd to T/and methodology/PhC and from there to the modern TPhC/ must surely affect the expansion of the latter’s functional specificity due to its significantly expanding conceptual and methodological base and very close ties with the general theory of culture and education).

The interrelation of these trends is manifested in such forms as increase of significance of the following:

• functions of physical culture as a social phenomenon and form of general culture;
• functions of the modern TPhC in the context of the functions of theory;
• functions of physical culture in the system of functions of general education.

It is particularly important to know and regard these fundamental trends (general scientific as well as private scientific) and forms of their manifestations in the modern period as it enables scientists working in this direction to identify promising targets for further studies of theoretical knowledge in the field of physical culture in the context of effective formation of its modern theory developing today, as has been shown, along the way of culture orientation, human creative orientation, integrativity, systemacy and continuity.

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Corresponding author: m.a.safronova.science@gmail.com