Conceptual Analysis of "Physical Culture" and "Physical Education" Terminology in General Secondary Schools: A Methodological Justification Based on International Practice

The General Secondary Education curriculum of the Republic of Uzbekistan designates the school subject as "physical culture" (jismoniy madaniyat), while in everyday school practice and the discourse of practitioners the term "physical education" (jismoniy tarbiya) prevails. This long-standing terminological divergence has remained methodologically unresolved. The present study aimed to clarify the conceptual-volumetric boundaries between the two terms and to determine the scientifically justified designation of the school subject in light of contemporary international practice. The study employed a theoretical-methodological design grounded in the eight-step concept analysis of Walker and Avant (2019), supplemented by comparative-historical analysis, normative-legal document analysis, and a cross-national curriculum benchmarking covering nine developed countries (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Finland, Japan, China, Russia, Uzbekistan). Eighteen primary sources were retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, eLIBRARY.ru, and the National Library of Uzbekistan, covering the period 1960–2025. The analysis demonstrated that "physical culture" is ontologically distinct from "physical education": the former designates a society-level socio-cultural phenomenon (encompassing sport, traditions, lifestyle, and material-spiritual values), whereas the latter denotes a person-targeted, purposeful pedagogical process. The cross-national curriculum comparison confirmed that "Physical Education" has become the international standard, with eight of nine surveyed countries adopting cognate designations. Designating the 45-minute school lesson as "physical education" is conceptually accurate and aligns with the educational reform agenda set by Presidential Decree PQ-392 of 15 November 2024. The principal limitation is the absence of empirical (survey or quasi-experimental) data, identified as a priority for follow-up research.