The Influence of Sports Leisure Activities on the Level of Moral Competence of High School Students

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: In the relationship between sports morality and the morality of everyday life, there are no relevant studies and researches to clearly demonstrate the direct connections between sports and moral behaviour. The aim of this study is to find out if there is a significant difference in the achieved level of moral competence of secondary school students - between those who engage in sports in their free time and those who do not engage in sports activities. Methods: Quantitative research methods were used in the research, and for the purposes of expressing the level of moral competence of secondary school students, we used Moral Judgment Test (MJT). The MJT test expresses an individual’s moral competence through the C-score. 181 pupils of various grades studying at secondary school took part in the research. To verify the normality of the distribution of the C-score variable, we used the Shapiro - Wilk test, and for hypothesis testing, we used the two- sample T-test to test the mean value at known mean values of the distribution. Significance levels are set at p value <0.05. Results: The results of the test of significant differences for individual grades of secondary school are interpreted as the results of the analysis of the impact of sports activities on the level of moral competence. Sports leisure activities have an impact on the level of moral competence of students in the 4th grade. Discussion: The research confirmed that sports leisure activities contribute to a higher level of moral competence measured by the MJT test and expressed by the C-score value as the age of the pupils increases. Limitations: The research was limited to students of one secondary school. Conclusions: The result of the research, based on statistical testing, was the finding that leisure sports activities have an impact on the level of moral competence in upper secondary school grades.