Active discussion vice versa passive observation: a comparative study on developing sport-related moral competencies in amateur and professional sport students

Background and Study Aim. Moral education of youth is one of the key components in shaping values across various contexts. Among the many approaches to such education, a special role is assigned to sports and physical activity and their influence on personality development. The potential of sports to foster moral education underscores the need for effective approaches to teaching moral values through sport. The aim of the study is to compare the effectiveness of active discussion and passive observation approaches in developing moral competencies among amateur and professional sports students. Material and Methods. The study included 259 first-year sports students. Among them, 131 were professional athletes. In the pre-test phase, all participants completed Lind’s Moral Judgment Test and the Moral Judgment Test in Physical Education. After a seven-week intervention, participants completed only the Moral Judgment Test in Physical Education as a post-test. The intervention involved three groups. Groups E1 and E2 viewed films that portrayed contrasting behaviors in sports. Group E3 participated in discussions based on the Konstanz Method of Dilemma-Discussion. Results. Significant differences (p = .01) in sport-related moral competence were observed in the post-test. Group E3, which participated in moral dilemma discussions, achieved the highest scores in sport-related moral competence. Among amateur athletes, the intervention significantly improved sport-related moral competencies from pre- to post-test. Conclusion. The results show that engaging in discussions about moral dilemmas can shape young athletes' perceptions and judgments. Viewing positive portrayals of sporting behavior in films also influences their understanding of moral issues in real-life sports situations.