Assessing the status of morals in PE Classes in secondary schools within Kampala district

Abstract

Moral development is one of the goals of Physical Education (PE). However, few programmes have been implemented to investigate how moral development is promoted in PE settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the current status of morals in PE classes within Kampala secondary schools. The study was done to assess the status of students’ morals in PE classes, identify the strategies employed by teachers in promoting morals and highlight the challenges faced by teachers in this effort. Participants were 100 students and 14 teachers from 4 selected secondary schools within Kampala district. Three questionnaires were used: the Youth Sport Values Questionnaire(YSVQ), the Attitudes to Moral Decision-Making in Youth Sport Questionnaire(AMDYSQ) to assess the students’ sports values and attitudes respectively and a researcher-designed questionnaire to assess the teachers’ strategies and challenges. The findings reveal that students prioritise values such as enjoyment, personal achievement, and self-actualization over winning in PE contexts. The results further show that PE teachers employ various strategies, with a notable emphasis on modelling good sportsmanship behaviour. While a majority of teachers express confidence in their strategies, challenges stemming from family backgrounds, technological influences, and group dynamics impact moral learning in their PE classes. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the dynamic interplay of morals, strategies, and challenges within the PE domain, contributing to a nuanced understanding of moral education in the context of physical education.