Associate Professor, PhD V.S. Sherin¹
Associate Professor, PhD E.A. Sherina^2
1National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk
²National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk

Keywords: physical education university discipline, national pedagogical traditions, questionnaire, comparative analysis.

Introduction. Nowadays, active processes related to internationalization of the leading Russian universities take place enhancing their active involvement in the international educational space. This fact certainly contributes to improvement of educational technologies, which become more and more similar to foreign educational models. Despite all changes, Russian education tends to preserve and commit to national pedagogical traditions.

Physical education is one of the significant components of higher vocational education. In Russian universities, physical education has its own traditions, established concept and content of the course, geared to form optimal level of students’ physical fitness. Sometimes, conventional physical education teaching process in Russian universities is not fully clear to foreign students which results in some difficulties in mastering the curriculum. Active internationalization of universities, increasing number of foreign students and their involvement in the educational process, including physical education lessons, raise the question of conducting comparative analysis of the national pedagogical traditions in teaching Physical Education in different regions of the world with a view of finding similarities and differences of various educational systems.

Objective of the study was to identify and characterize national specifics of organization of the physical education course in universities in various foreign countries and determine the attitude of foreign students towards Russian physical education system.

Methods and structure of the research. The study is based on the data obtained through the questionnaire, that was held among foreign students in 2015 at the premises of two Tomsk universities (National Research Tomsk State University and National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University – the universities, which are included in the program «5-100», actively developing international activity and teaching foreign students from the countries outside the CIS). The questionnaire was carried out in oral and written form in Russian and in English.

The questionnaires comprised questions to find out the following information: a) “Is the “Physical Education” course mandatory in foreign university?”; b) “How often (hours per week) and how long (quantity of years and semesters) do students attend Physical Education lessons?”; c) “What sports are foreign university students doing?”; d) “Do they have a compulsory test/exam in this discipline?”; e) “How does a teacher control the students and how is the exam/test held?”; f) “Are there special health groups and how do students excused from attending Physical Education lessons get a credit/exam?”; g) “Did foreign students attend Physical Education lessons in Russia and what do they think about organization of these lessons? ”; h) “Should Physical Education lessons be mandatory according to their opinion?”.

The study involved 114 students from 27 foreign countries.

Results and discussion. In the course of the study, we determined national pedagogical traditions in the organization of physical education and sports activities in foreign universities (countries of Europe, Asia, Africa etc.). The study revealed 3 groups of countries, in which citizens took part in the questionnaire (Table 1):

Table 1. Groups of countries based on the form of organization of physical education lessons in universities

Let us consider each group in more detail.

Group 1. In the countries of group 1, physical education lessons are obligatory for students. The number of hours, course duration, suggested forms of physical education classes and control are conditioned by the national educational standards and pedagogical traditions in the field of physical education and sport. Thus, in Vietnam in addition to traditional spors students can also do national ones such as wushu, national kinds of hand-to-hand combat etc. Only in China and Vietnam, as in Russia, student must learn the theory of physical education and sport, which is included in the mandatory examination block. In order to get a credit students of Taiwan universities must participate in a marathon, organized in their university. It should be noted that the main criterion for getting a credit in a number of countries (Taiwan, Bolivia, Egypt, Colombia etc.) is attendance and no skipped lessons.

The principal difference in the organization of the lessons in these countries is their intensity, duration and schedule. The key information obtained in the course of questioning the students from these countries is given in table 2:

Table 2. Regulatory requirements regarding organization of lessons

As seen from Table 1, most of the curriculum time is dedicated to physical education lessons in such countries as Vietnam, Taiwan, Russia, Bulgaria, Ecuador.

In China, students have no options for choosing specialization, there is also no opportunity, as in Russia, to be engaged in aerobics, dances; during the warm season all students exercise in the stadium and when it is cold, they perform required qualifying standards and arrange team football, volleyball, basketball games in the gym. At the end of each semester, the students are subject to physical fitness tests. For instance, during winter examination period it can be long jump, shuttle run; in summer period – run, sit-ups, pull-ups [3].

The physical education lessons in Vietnam are distinguished by the need to regularly hit some qualifying standards, “work off” skipped lessons at extra cost. Herewith, the students are not limited to choose specializations: swimming, track and field athletics, ping-pong, football, volleyball, aerobics, badminton etc. During the examination it is necessary to successfully complete not only the practical part (here is evaluated performance of the given exercise from the chosen specialization), but also the theoretical one.

The difference of the Taiwan system of university physical education is self-regulation of attendance by students, so they can attend all lessons during the period of 2 years before the graduation, therefore, they do not have to intensively work off skipped lessons since they can do this in the next semester. The range of specializations includes not only traditional sports, but also yoga, contemporary dances.

Compared to Russian system, in all countries, representatives of which took part in the questionnaire, the students, excused from the lessons for medical reasons, do not need to pass credit or exam, prepare and defend a paper on a given topic.

Thus, national standards and pedagogical traditions between the countries of this group are similar mainly in availability of the physical education course in their university, teacher’s control of attendance, availability of credit or exam. The fundamental differences are in the number of hours given for the discipline, options/lack of options for choosing specialization, control methods and intensity.

Group 2. This group includes countries, where students attend sport classes due to their personal interest. In the majority of European countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Slovakia etc.) curricula being elaborated and established do not include a physical education course. Many universities do not facilitate sport activities, in most cases the only motivation for students is discounts for swimming pools and gyms. It should be noted that this fact does not make students less active during physical education and sport lessons. The answers of the respondents show that the dominant factor is self-sufficiency and motivation for a healthy lifestyle.

Group 3. This group includes two countries – India and Côte d'Ivoire. Student-respondents represented various universities and gave opposite answers. For instance, in Côte d'Ivoire the physical education course is not mandatory part in the state university curriculum compared to the private one. This is due to the lack of appropriate facilities for physical education lessons to cater for a large number of students being trained in state universities.

The goal of the study was also to find out the attitude of foreign students from the countries outside the CIS towards the physical education system in Russian universities, in particular, in two Tomsk universities. 90% of the respondents, who had previously attended physical education lessons, positively evaluated the course, especially the option of choosing specialization among the large variety of the offered areas, optimal number of lessons per week, good infrastructure, credit requirements and the fact they do not need to take an exam in the discipline.

The answers of student-respondents to the question “Do you think physical education lessons should be obligatory?” varied. 42% of respondents gave a positive answer, 58% of them do not agree that physical education must be included in the block of compulsory university disciplines. The need for physical education lessons to be included in the curriculum was mentioned by students from China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Yemen, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Bulgaria – the countries, which have similar to Russian pedagogical traditions and national standards in the field of university physical education. Students from the countries of Group 2 do not support the introduction of the compulsory discipline of physical education and do not like the fact that they need to attend these lessons in Russia. This fact is conditioned by the formed attitude to a healthy lifestyle as a private matter of each man.

Conclusion. The study on the organization of the physical education process in foreign countries and the attitude of foreign students towards this course in a Russian university, enabled us to determine two polar groups: a) countries, whose national pedagogical traditions and state standards are similar to Russian ones and include physical education in the block of compulsory university disciplines; b) countries, where physical education and sports activities are not promoted by the government, not regulated and controlled by the university. Hence, it is necessary to consider the identified specifics when organizing physical education lessons for foreign students in Russian universities by offering a variety of specializations, adjusting intensity and control methods.

References

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3. Tszypu Van Soderzhanie i formy organizatsii fizicheskogo vospitaniya v vuzakh Kitayskoy Narodnoy Respubliki: dis. … kand. ped. nauk [RGAFK] (The content and forms of organization of physical education in the universities of the People's Republic of China: PhD thesis [RSAPhC]) / Van Tszypu. – Moscow, 1999. – 183 p.
4. Incomescu Teodora Mihaela, Alexe Dan Iulian. Differences and Similarities in Curriculum and Assessment in Physical Education in Eastern European States, Movement and Health. Vol. XV, ISSUE 1, 2015, 41–46.
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Corresponding author: kapil@yandex.ru

Abstract
Active processes of internationalization of universities in Russia influence the development of educational technologies that are getting more similar to foreign learning models. Despite all the changes Russian education tends to conserve and commit to the national pedagogical traditions. The university subject "Physical Education" in Russia has an established instructional format and content, which in some cases are not so clear to foreign students. Thus, national educational traditions of teaching Physical Education in different countries need to be compared to identify the commonalities and differences in different education systems.
The study included oral and written surveys of 114 foreign students from 27 countries studying in two leading universities of Tomsk in English and in Russian. Two opposite groups were determined: a) the countries which national educational traditions and national standards are similar to Russian ones and have Physical Education included in the block of compulsory university disciplines; b) the countries in which physical education and sport are not promoted by the state, not regulated and not controlled by the university. In this connection, when organizing Physical Education lessons for foreign students in Russian universities one should take into account the detected specificity and ensure various specialties and adjust the intensity and control methods.