FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The journal’s main goal:
- is to aid and facilitate national, international, and interdisciplinary scientific communication, and to strengthen the links between scientific researchers all over the world;
- distributing the information on the latest research and scientific work conducted by scientists and leading specialists in the fields of physical education of adult young people - Postsecondary Students (undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees).

The Journal welcomes articles on different aspects of physical education, sports and health of adult young people - Postsecondary Students (undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees) which cover scientific researches in the related fields, such as biomechanics, kinesiology, medicine, psychology, sociology, technologies of sports equipment, research in training, selection, physical efficiency, as well as health preservation and other interdisciplinary perspectives.

The journal represents original scientific researches of scientists from the East-European region (Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine).
The journal used to cooperate with the scientists from other regions.

The journal signifies the achievements of scientists of the neighboring East-European countries. These countries have a common border and approximately the same climatic and geographic conditions. More than half of the territory of Ukraine and Belarus, the Northeastern part of Poland and Western Russia remains contaminated with radiation as a result of the accident at the nuclear power plant (Ukraine, Chernobyl, 1986). The consequences of this misfortune for many years have been adversely affecting the level of the young people health that requires the consolidation of these countries scientists` research in this field. More than for 70 years, the countries of the East-European region have had many common traditions and approaches in physical training and education of students that predetermines the need for coordination of relevant research of the scientists in these countries. Everything taken together differentiates the countries of the East-European region from the rest European ones.

The development of sport among the students of these countries takes place in close regional cooperation of the universities, institutes, and academies, particularly in the border areas. It is the presence of Physical Education Departments in the structure of the higher education institutions that is a characteristic feature of this region. Each department numbers from 5 to 70 lecturers and pedagogues: approximately 300 ones each in Ukraine, Poland, Russia, and somewhat less in Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia. There is a course “Physical Education” in the academic curriculum of these educational establishments. This subject is a compulsory one in the most educational establishments (2-4 academic hours per week). There has been a tendency of gradual shifting of this subject into the elective ones (in Poland, Ukraine, Moldova et al., and partially in Belarus, Russia). Another distinctive feature of this region is division of all the students according to their level of health into three groups at the physical education, such as:
1) The Basic Group (the students who do not suffer from health problems);
2) The Preparatory Group (the students with minor lapses in the level of health);
3) The Special Medical Group (the students with bad variants or deviant conditions from normal). This group also has a subgroup of medical physical training (the students with different types of pathology and disabled persons).

The East-European region countries have approximately the same system of training of coaches and teachers. Training is conducted mainly at the departments (institutions) of physical education of the pedagogical universities (up to 15 in each country) and at the specialized physical education establishments (up to about 6 in each country). The largest technical universities of these countries also provide training of coaches, teachers of physical education and lecturers (up to 5 in each country). In sport competitions these educational establishments seriously compete with the educational establishments specializing in physical education and sport. The distinctive feature of this region is a two-degree training of the scientific staff: PhD and PhD (Full Professor).

Ultimately, the countries of the East-European region have the same problems in physical education of students, as well as in forming and improving their health, sports development, training of scientific personnel and others. The raised level of radioactive contamination has forced the scientists of these countries to find a solution to the problems of preservation and strengthening of this region students` health. The scientific researches in this sphere are often duplicated. This leads to unnecessary wasting of finances and inefficient work of the researchers in these countries. It should be mentioned that in this region the Russian language is still used: mainly in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova and to a lesser extent in Poland et al.. This allows to the majority of the scientists to communicate and present their research in the well-known for them language. There are positive trends in an increasing use of English in scientific research institutions of this region. Therefore, there is an obvious need to concentrate and coordinate the research results made by the scientists of the East-European region in a specialized journal with regard to the language that is common for mutual understanding – English. In this regard, it is the journal “Physical Education of Students” that has the evident advantages in comparison with other editions.

It should be noted that in these countries it is published approximately about 100 journals in the national languages on various issues of training and education, as well as health, physical culture and sport. Among them it is about 50% that are journals on issues of health problem of different population groups including everybody from children to elders. Some of the articles touch upon the health problems and sports of students. However, the journal “Physical Education of Students” is the only journal in the East-European region, which is focused only on the publication of the results of investigation of the health problems, physical education, and sport of students as well. It should be added that the journal “Physical Education of Students” is the only journal also published in English. All the above-mentioned allow suggesting that the journal “Physical Education of Students” really presents the original research of the regional problems of physical education and sport of students (higher education institutions).

In this aspect the journal “Physical Education of Students” is a connecting link between researchers of Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. This stand of the journal gives the opportunity to review the most advanced technologies of physical education of students, new directions of development of the science of health and healthy lifestyles, contemporary research in sport.

It should be noted that the quality of the publications in the journal is provided due to both the great authority of the editorial board of the renowned scholars from Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Spain, Tunisia, Venezuela, Singapore, Iran, USA, and originality, novelty of the articles.

The journal uses every opportunity to promote the free flow of research results through both regional database (Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine; Polish Scholarly Bibliography) and well-known associations of scientific editions (Directory of Open Access Journals; The European Reference Index for the Humanities and the Social Sciences).

In general, the editors express hope that the journal “Physical Education of Students” contributes to information exchange to combine efforts of the researchers from the East-European region to solve common problems in health promotion of students, development of physical culture and sports in higher educational institutions.