MODERNIZATION PROCESSES IN THE FIELD OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION OF ADOLESCENTS IN UKRAINE (LATE TWENTIETH – EARLY TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY)

Abstract

The article presents a historical and pedagogical analysis of the modernization processes in the field of physical education of adolescents in Ukraine in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. The socio-educational prerequisites for the transformation of the physical education system have been identified, including the reform of the national education system following the proclamation of Ukraine’s independence, the deterioration in the health status of children and young people, the decline in levels of physical activity, and the increasing relevance of promoting a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation. It has been established that, during the period under study, physical education gradually evolved from a system focused predominantly on physical training and the fulfillment of prescribed standards into a multi-component pedagogical process aimed at the harmonious physical, psychological, and social development of the adolescent personality.
Special attention is paid to the analysis of the regulatory and legal support for the modernization of physical education, in particular the Laws of Ukraine “On Education”, “On Physical Culture and Sports”, “On General Secondary Education”, as well as the State Standards of Basic Secondary Education adopted in 2004, 2011, and 2020. Changes in the content of the physical education sector have been analyzed, particularly the strengthening of the health-preserving component, the implementation of the competency-based approach, the expansion of students’ theoretical training, and the modernization of forms of physical culture and health-enhancing activities. It is determined that an important aspect of the modernization of physical education was the formation of students’ motivation for systematic physical activity, the development of self-monitoring skills regarding physical condition, a responsible attitude toward personal health, and the cultivation of a healthy lifestyle culture. It is established that, alongside traditional physical education lessons, extracurricular and out-of-school forms of physical culture and health-related activities experienced active development, aimed at increasing adolescents’ physical activity and promoting their physical self-improvement.
The study demonstrates that modernization processes in the field of adolescents’ physical education were comprehensive in nature and combined pedagogical, social, health-preserving, and regulatory-legal aspects of educational reform. Their influence on the formation of the contemporary competency-based model of physical education in Ukraine has been identified.

Received: January 27, 2026
Accepted: February 20, 2026
Published: May 28, 2026