Dr. Hab., Professor S.E. Bakulev¹
Dr. Hab., Professor V.A. Tajmazov¹
Dr.Sc.Pol., Associate Professor V.V. Pyzh^1
1Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health, St. Petersburg

Corresponding author: bakulev_boks@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to analyze the core ideas of P.F. Lesgaft in the context of the physical education system design and management basics that he developed with a special attention to their humanistic priorities.

Results and discussion. Peter F. Lesgaft was one of the renowned public figures of the late 19 to early 20 centuries. His research and educational service was heavily influenced by the ideas of these and other progressive thinkers, revolutionary democrats and natural scientists of Russia. He comprehensively and extensively analyzed the-then physical education service design and management experiences of England, Germany, France, Greece, etc. to demonstrate their scientific inconsistency and offer his own physical exercising systems on the whole and gymnastics systems in particular.

He underlined the drawbacks of the above one-sided systems when formed and presented to the scientific community his core idea of the individual comprehensive and harmonic development driven by a well-designed physical education service. He firmly believed that such physical education service secures progress not only in the specific physical qualities and motor skills but also in spiritual and moral values and intellectual resource. Peter Lesgaft was particularly successful in developing an original individual harmonic progress theory for what he called an "ideal normal personality". He also argued that physical, mental, moral and aesthetic education process and progress are inextricably correlated, with every success in one of these domains always beneficial for the others. Peter Lesgaft gave a special priority to the morality building education considered "consequential to the strictly designed and managed intellectual and physical education".

Results and conclusion. The Peter Lesgaft’s physical-education-related ideas and concepts are still highly appreciated and considered systemic and inclusive as they combine the deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology with no less extensive knowledge of psychology and pedagogy, plus exceptional theoretical and practical physical education knowledge. This knowledgebase and ideas are still relevant nowadays as they effectively encourage and inspire deeper research in the physical education sector to better understand the nature of physical education as a cultural phenomenon within the evolving framework of the modern physical education theory.

Keywords: Peter Lesgaft, educational heritage, physical education and sports.

Background. Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health (St. Petersburg) proudly celebrates its 125^th anniversary in 2021 making a glorious evolution from the Peter Lesgaft Higher Courses for Physical Education Teachers and Managers to the modern multidisciplinary educational establishment reporting to the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation.

Presently the national physical education and sports community gives a high priority to the academic physical education system modernization initiatives with a special emphasis on its humanizing and cultural functions to build up spiritual values and priorities and facilitate the general cultural and professional progress of every student. This is the reason why the physical education theory needs to be revised so as to offer new progress paradigms on a sound theoretical and practical basis. It should be emphasized that the national physical education and sports community highly appreciates the invaluable contribution and original ideas of Peter Lesgaft, an outstanding scientist, teacher and social servant [1, 3].

Objective of the study was to analyze the core ideas of P.F. Lesgaft in the context of the physical education system design and management basics that he developed, with a special attention to their humanistic priorities.

Results and discussion. Peter F. Lesgaft was one of the renowned public figures of the late 19 to early 20 centuries including L.N. Tolstoy, N.G. Chernyshevsky, N.A. Dobrolyubov, N.I. Pirogov, D.F. Ushinsky, A.D. Butovsky et al. His research and educational service was heavily influenced by the ideas of these and other progressive thinkers, revolutionary democrats and natural scientists of Russia. He comprehensively and extensively analyzed the-then physical education service design and management experiences of England, Germany, France, Greece, etc. to demonstrate their scientific inconsistency and offer his own physical exercising systems on the whole and gymnastics systems in particular.

He underlined the drawbacks of the above one-sided systems when formed and presented to the scientific community his core idea of the individual comprehensive and harmonic development driven by a well-designed physical education service. He firmly believed that such physical education service secures progress not only in the specific physical qualities and motor skills but also in spiritual and moral values and intellectual resource. P.F. Lesgaft was particularly successful in developing an original individual harmonic progress theory for what he called an "ideal normal personality". He also argued that physical, mental, moral and aesthetic education process and progress are inextricably correlated, with every success in one of these domains always beneficial for the others. Peter Lesgaft gave a special priority to the morality building education considered "consequential to the strictly designed and managed intellectual and physical education" [2].

We give a special credit to Peter Lesgaft for the close correlation between human anatomy, physical education and history that he found and then always emphasized that the principle of historicism is critical for understanding evolution of any science. He even opens up his physical education manual for preschoolers by a historical background. This publication was in fact the first truly scientific work on the global physical education history – since the prior physical education-related foreign and national publications were designed exclusively on a chronological facts-listing basis. Peter F. Lesgaft was the first to theoretically analyze the physical education history and facts from the early antique period to the late 19th century. It may be pertinent to mention in this context that thereby he laid a basis for the physical education history as a new research discipline. 

Furthermore, Peter Lesgaft was the first to come up with the idea of biological and anthropological aspects of the theoretical and practical physical education service, and repeatedly underlined the key role of physical activity for individual health agenda. He used this concept to develop his biological and pedagogical doctrine followed by a systemic physical education theory.

In his efforts to develop the individual physical education and culturing system, Peter Lesgaft established a number of basic laws, including the law of harmony, law of gradual consistent progress, and the exercise law which deserves special attention and appreciation as a basis of the modern physical education system. He also designed an "ideal normal personality" model with the harmonized spiritual and physical (physical education) progress components. It is important that he closely correlated the physical education service with the labor education plus spiritual and moral values and qualities cultivation service; and this is the fundamental difference of the Peter Lesgaft’s physical education theory from other physical education systems and theories.

It may be said with confidence that the Peter Lesgaft’s physical education system is still relevant nowadays as it rests on a sound scientific foundation. The core idea of the system is to develop respect to labor and diligence in a young person for efficient physical work and social contributions. Peter Lesgaft gave a comprehensive theoretical substantiation for a wide variety of physical education models and tools customizable for the age groups and individual progress needs and abilities; with much attention paid to team sports and some other sports disciplines including athletics, swimming, skating, wrestling, etc. He offered a few brilliantly designed practical physical education systems for a range of training goals, with the individual physical education progress testable by systematic anthropometric tests. Peter Lesgaft was the first to critically analyze, on a sound research foundation, foreign gymnastics systems and misleading theories of physical activity. He was particularly demanding to the physical education service management training system. On the whole, the physical education system he designed and promoted still inspires the physical education and sports communities by its great pedagogical enthusiasm and optimism [4]. P.F. Lesgaft paid great attention to the studies of the structures and shapes of the human organs in the context of their functions, external environmental effects, age-specific variations and reasons for the anomalies.

The Peter F. Lesgaft’s study "On the physical education relation with anatomy" and a few other studies demonstrated the physical education benefits for modern society, conditional on the physical education service being designed and managed on sound theoretical provisions. It was due to his exceptional erudition that he created a physical education system totally different from the prior systems in many aspects, particularly in the comprehensive scientific foundation formed by the-then physical education theory.

Every natural-scientific, pedagogical and journalistic publication by Peter Lesgaft is well supported by good methodological provisions. He considered scientific methodology as an indispensable progress driver and emphasized that “every science should have its own philosophy, since no science exists without a subject-analyzing philosophy”. He expected a scientific thinking being progressive, with the mission of secondary and higher education being rather to “develop the individual thinking resources to effectively analyze and encourage the progress agendas” than only accumulate knowledge as such. His concepts of theoretical anatomy opened up the way to the knowledge synthesizing and broad objective generalization initiatives [1].

Conclusion. The Peter Lesgaft’s physical-education-related ideas and concepts are still highly appreciated and considered systemic and inclusive as they combine the deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology with no less extensive knowledge of psychology and pedagogy, plus exceptional theoretical and practical physical education knowledge. This knowledgebase and ideas are still relevant nowadays as they effectively encourage and inspire deeper research in the physical education sector to better understand the nature of physical education as a cultural phenomenon within the evolving framework of the modern physical education theory.

References

1. Grantyn K.H. Lesgaft physical education system. Uch. Zapiski. Lesgaft SIPE publ.. 1944. no. 2. pp. 3-23.
2. Lesgaft P.F. Selected pedagogical works. Moscow: Pedagogika publ., 1988. 399 p.
3. Lesgaft P.F. Main works with comments of professors V.A. Taymazov, Y.F. Kuramshin, A.T. Maryanovich. Saint Petersburg, Pechatny dvor publ, 2006. 719p.
4. Tajmazov V.A., Kuramshin Y.F., Maryanovich A.T. Peter Frantsevich Lesgaft. History of life and activity. Saint Petersburg: Pechatny dvor publ., 2006. 479 p.