Higher education programs classification in the field of physical culture and sports: the experience of foreign countries and Central Asia

Abstract

In this article, a comparative analysis of the classifiers of areas / specialties of training in the system of higher education (bachelor's and master's) of the Central Asia states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), the International Standard Classification of Education and the USA in the field of physical education and sports (health) is carried out. The authors analyzed various characteristics of this fundamental document, such as what areas and branches of knowledge physical education in higher education is assigned to in each of the classifiers, how many areas / specializations they have, how well the classifier is harmonized with ISCED, etc. It was revealed that foreign classifiers educational programs are less regulatory in nature, in contrast to Central Asian ones, due to historical and socio-economic aspects. The Western classification is quite logically structured, reflecting the various directions of the PE and Sports. The Kazakh classifier, unlike all the others, has only one physical culture and sports direction in its content, and the Tajik nomenclature of higher education specialties is significantly outdated. The authors propose some recommendations that could contribute to the improvement of the classification system in Central Asia, both in general and in physical culture and sports areas.