COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FORMAL AND NON-FORMAL TRAINING FOR CANOE POLO COACH-EDUCATORS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND UKRAINE

Abstract

The article presents a comparative analysis of formal and non-formal training systems for canoe polo coach-educators in Great Britain and Ukraine, conducted within the framework of specialisation 011 Educational and Pedagogical Sciences. The research follows the classical comparative pedagogy approach: studying British experience as a model example, comparing it with domestic practice, and formulating evidence-based recommendations.

University coach training programmes at leading British institutions (Loughborough, Bath, Birmingham, Chichester and others) and Ukrainian higher education establishments (The National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine (NUPESU), Ivan Bobersky Lviv State University of Physical Culture (LSPC), Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture (KSAPC), M. Dragomanov National University of Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi National University (KNU) and others) were analysed across specialisations 017 Physical Culture and Sport and 014 Secondary Education (Physical Culture) as the objects of comparative analysis. Non-formal coach education systems were also examined: the multi-level certification framework of the British Canoeing Awarding Body and Paddle UK in Great Britain, and the practice of the Canoe Polo Federation of Ukraine.

It was established that none of the analysed university programmes in either country provide specialised canoe polo coach training – this is a shared characteristic of both systems. At the same time, fundamental systemic differences were identified: British universities integrate external federal qualifications into the educational process, whereas in Ukraine, university education and the system of awarding coaching categories operate in parallel and independently. In the dimension of non-formal education, the gap is even more striking: the British system features a fully regulated certification framework with a specialised canoe polo module and mandatory annual qualification updates, while in Ukraine coach preparation is effectively reduced to one federation seminar per year with no official qualification awarded. Based on the comparative analysis, three prognostic ideas for modernising the domestic system are proposed: development by the Canoe Polo Federation of Ukraine of its own coach certification system; partnership between leading higher education institutions and the federation for mutual recognition of qualifications; and introduction of annual qualification updates and a systematic mentoring programme.