Evaluation of moral development of adolescent regarding everyday and sport practice moral dilemmas

Abstract

The main purpose of this study, a descriptive research, was to identify and compare the moral reasoning level in adolescents involved and not involved in sport. The sample was composed of 31 (thirty-one) athletes who participated in the Paraná youth games and 43 (fourty-three) nonathletes from public and private schools comprised by the Regional Education Administrative at Maringá, totalling 74(seventy-four) subjects. The research was conducted trough a questionnaire containing questions about personal information and about two moral dilemmas, one concerning sports life (Romance, 1984) and the other concerning everyday life (Kohlberg, 1958) and the scored according to Kohlberg’s moral development theory. The interpretation of the results led to following conclusions. Athletes showed similar moral reasoning level in sport and everyday life dilemma. Athletes and nonathletes demonstrated divergences in moral reasoning level everyday life dilemma. Envelopment in sport, coaches and physical education teacher’ guidance are powerful factors that affect the adolescents’ moral development. Further similar studies with other variables (age and Sex) may be desirable to verify differences in moral development, besides setting up specific programs aiming at moral development, besides setting up specifics programs aiming at moral development through Physical Education and sport.