Level of Suitability of Individuals Playing Sports to Ethical Values and Related Factors

¹Selcuk University, Institute of Health Sciences, Konya, Turkey

²Selcuk University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Konya, Turkey

*Corresponding author: Sefa LÖK, Selcuk University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Konya, Turkey; Email: [email protected]

Received Date: January 4, 2023

Publication Date: January 25, 2023

Citation: KERETLI O, et al. (2023). Level of Suitability of Individuals Playing Sports to Ethical Values and Related Factors. Mathews J Sports Med. 3(1):004.

Copyright: KERETLI O, et al. © (2023)

ABSTRACT

This study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between the predisposition of individuals who do sports to ethical values and sociodemographic variables. The research was planned in a descriptive relational type. The universe of the research consisted of individuals who registered to a sports center and engaged in sports. In the collection of data; the personal information form prepared by the researchers and questioning the socio-demographic characteristics of the individuals and the Scale of Susceptibility to Ethical Values were used. When the individual characteristics of the individuals who do sports are evaluated; The mean age is 32.45±1.55, 15.9% female, 84.1% married, 59.2% of them were high school graduates, 65.6% of them medium and 22.3% of them as good. The mean score of the love-respect sub-dimension of the individuals who do sports is 72.23±4.64, the mean score of the justice and honesty sub-dimension is 23.42±3.07, the mean score of the cooperation sub-dimension is 23.42±3.07 and the mean total score of the scale of susceptibility to ethical values was found to be 72.23±4.64. It is a state of high morality that describes how to behave and obey the rules while doing sports or in competitions. In terms of ethical values, being a man, being married and having a low level of education constituted the risk group in athletes.

Keywords: Sports individuals, Ethical values, Related factors

INTRODUCTION

The concept of ethics is derived from the Greek word “ethos-ethikos” which means “moral system”, “principle”, “human behavior”, “tradition” and “science of morals” (Tepe Küçükoğlu 2012;) [1]. In addition, ethos also means that the customs, habits and customs in the society are not applied exactly, but internalized by thinking, questioning and criticizing them and making this the defining feature of the personality (Brabeck et al. 2000) [2]. Values are attitudes, ideals or beliefs that an individual or group has and uses to guide behavior (Tirri and Nokelainen 2007) [3]. Ethical values provide a framework for behavior evaluation and constitute a source for individual and community behaviors (Yıldırım & Kadıoğlu, 2007) [4]. Among the basic and upper ethical values and principles that do not change according to various societies and cultures, there are justice, truth-honesty, impartiality and responsibility (Tepe Küçükoğlu, 2012) [1]. Ethical and professional values and associated behaviors are the most fundamental components of being human. How doing sports will affect the ethical values of individuals is an important issue (Karayol and Eroğlu 2020) [5]. Sport is an activity that provides structural, social balance and harmony of people. It is also the main source of physical and mental spiritual well-being. While sports contribute directly to human development, it also affects concepts such as peace, love, brotherhood, respect and honesty. Athlete's understanding of value is directly proportional to society's understanding of value. Society consists of individuals who contribute to shaping the athlete. Athletes reflect the society's understanding of value to the sports environment. It can be said that ethical and moral values such as sense of value in sports, sportsmanship (fair-play), friendship, peace and honesty are followed during the competition (Choi et al. 2021) [6]. As a result of the study, it was understood that sports teachers in schools have an important role in the development of the understanding of value in individuals. The basis of the ethical behavior of the athletes is the fulfillment of their duties and responsibilities in line with universal values such as honesty, justice, openness, impartiality and respect. Ethics is to teach the individual to exist by being able to freely make moral decisions in society (Tepe Küçükoğlu 2012) [1]. Questions about what is good and what is bad, what is right and wrong, what is legitimate and what is forbidden, and what to do and what not to do are moral questions. It finds answers to such questions, which are encountered every day in social life, within the framework of the principles put forward by ethics and learned in the process of socialization. Thus, we form our behaviors and actions (Mirfallah-Nassiri et al. 2018) [7]. Ethics, which tries to find answers according to the "good-bad" evaluations of the situations that arise in the relations of the individual with other individuals, has been defined as the philosophy of values (Aydoğdu and İlhan 2018) [8]. It is thought that doing sports may affect the predisposition of individuals to ethical values. At the same time, it will guide the intervention studies to be carried out on the subject in line with the results to be obtained. For these reasons, in this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between the predisposition of individuals who do sports to ethical values and sociodemographic variables.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals who do sports?
2. What is the mean score of the level of susceptibility to ethical values of individuals who do sports?
3. Does the level of susceptibility to ethical values change according to the socio-demographic characteristics of the individuals who do sports?

METHODS

Type of Research

The research was planned in a descriptive relational type.

Population and Sample of the Research

The universe of the research consisted of individuals who registered to a sports center and engaged in sports. G*Power program for sample size calculation, version 3.1.9.2. used. The sample size of the study; With a power of 95% and a confidence interval of 95%, with an effect size of 0.15, the mean score of susceptibility to ethical values in the study of Taş F. (2018) [9] was calculated as 157 (68.6±8.5).

Data Collection Tools

In the collection of data; the personal information form prepared by the researchers and questioning the socio-demographic characteristics of the individuals and the Scale of Susceptibility to Ethical Values were used.

Propensity to Ethical Values Scale (EDYS)

The scale, which consists of 16 items, the validity and reliability of which was made by Kaya I. [10], is in a 5-point Likert style, and the scale items were formed as “1” completely disagree and “5” completely agree. The range of points that can be obtained from the scale is 16-80 points. The scale consists of three sub-dimensions; the first sub-dimension "Love-respect" (1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8th items), the second sub-dimension "Justice-honesty" (9,10,11,12 and 13th items) and the third sub-dimension “Collaboration” (items 14, 15 and 16). There is no reverse item in the scale. While evaluation can be made according to the sub-dimensions related to the scale, it can also be evaluated over the total score. An increase in the scores obtained from the whole scale and its sub-dimensions indicates that individuals have a high "proneness to ethical values". The Cronbach's alpha values of the sub-dimensions of the scale were determined as 0.88-0.85-0.73, respectively. The original Cronbach alpha value of the scale is 0.90.

Data collection

The data were collected by the researcher in the hospital environment by face-to-face interview method. Before giving the forms to be used in the research, necessary explanations will be made orally, and a quiet environment with little stimulus was created during the application.

Evaluation of Data

The data of the study were evaluated using the statistical package program SPSS for Windows 22.0 (Statistical Package for Social Science). Number of units (n), percentage (%), mean±standard deviation (mean (SD)) values were used as summary statistics. The normal distribution of the data was evaluated with the Shapiro-Wilk test and the Q-Q plot. Independent two-sample t-test and dependent two-sample t-test will be used for normally distributed data, Mann-Whitney U and One way ANOVA will be used for non-normally distributed data. The results were evaluated at 95% confidence interval and p<0.05 significance level.

Ethical Procedure

Ethical permission was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Sport Sciences for the ethical permission of research (Decision number no: 2022/155). Before starting the research, the informed consent form of the individuals was obtained online. The purpose of the research, its duration and the procedures to be carried out during the research were briefly explained in a language they could understand, the principle of "Informed Consent", the principle of "Autonomy" by stating that individuals could withdraw from the research at any time, and the principle of "Confidentiality and Confidentiality" by stating that individual information would be protected after it was shared with the researcher.

RESULTS

When the individual characteristics of the individuals who do sports are evaluated; The mean age is 32.45±1.55, 15.9% female, 84.1% male, 66.2% married, 33.8% single, 5.7% primary school graduates, 59.2% of them were high school graduates and 35% of them were university graduates, 12.1% of them perceived their health as bad, 65.6% of them medium and 22.3% of them as good.

The mean score of the love-respect sub-dimension of the individuals who do sports is 72.23±4.64, the mean score of the justice and honesty sub-dimension is 23.42±3.07, the mean score of the cooperation sub-dimension is 23.42±3.07 and the mean total score of the scale of susceptibility to ethical values was found to be 72.23±4.64 (Table 1).

Table 1: Distribution of Mean Scores for Ethical Approachability of Individuals Who Do Sports.

The level of susceptibility to ethical values and personal characteristics of individuals who do sports are evaluated in Table 2. The mean scores of women's inclination to ethical values were found to be higher than men's, and the difference was considered statistically significant (p<0.05). When the educational status of the individuals who do sports and the mean score of the level of inclination to ethical values are evaluated, a significant difference was found between the mean score of the level of education and inclination to ethical values, and it was determined that the difference was due to university graduates (p<0.05). The mean scores of the single’s inclination to ethical values were found to be higher than the married ones, and the difference was evaluated as statistically significant (p<0.05). When the mean score of perceived income status and susceptibility to ethical values were evaluated, no statistically significant difference was found (p>0.05).

Table 2: Distribution of Mean Belief Scores for Mental Illnesses According to Individual Characteristics of Individuals Who Do Sports.

U: Mann Whitney U test, F: ANOVA test, *p<0,05

DISCUSSION

Sports are extremely important in the development of social character and the effect of sports on the acquisition of values such as love, respect, ethics, morality and virtue cannot be denied. The world of sports and life are intertwined. At this point, the concepts of "ethics and morality" gain importance for the athlete, who has the status of being an example and guiding society (Mortimer et al. 2021) [11]. In our study, it was seen that individuals who do sports attach importance to ethical values and their ethical scores are quite high. At the same time, it has been seen that the characteristics of love and respect that should be in individuals who show ethical behavior are also characteristics that should be in individuals who do sports. Simon RL, et al. (2018) [12] reported that athletes are willing to commit to ethical values and make ethical decisions in their work.

The concept in sports ethics refers to fair and honest play. It is a state of high morality that describes how to behave and follow the rules while doing sports or in competitions (Gillente 2020) [13]. It is a concept that concerns everyone involved in sports. In addition, it does not only regulate sports relations, but also emerges as a cultural situation. Waiting in line is to show respect to others, to take care of one's own rights. These are behaviors that can spread through sports and affect social life positively (Abanazir 2019) [14]. In our study, it was seen that the average score of justice and honesty of individuals who do sports is high. It was found that the individuals included in the study were quite prone to ethical values and behaved fairly and honestly. Lundqvist C, et al. (2022) [15] reported that individuals who do sports have high ethical values and behave fairly and honestly.

In our study, it was found that women behaved more ethically than men. The fact that women have ethical values will make important contributions to them in the sports competitions they will enter. Adopting the principles of sports ethics will support the character and moral formation of society. Karayol M, et al. (2020) [5] reported that girls behave more ethically than boys in their study. This study finding was similar to our current study finding in this aspect. Shawver TJ, et al. (2009) [16] evaluated whether athletes have ethical values in their study and reported that men behave more ethically than women.

CONCLUSION

In line with the results of the study, it was found that the athletes have ethical values, and important ethical concepts such as love, respect, justice, honesty and cooperation are extremely effective in their ethical decisions. The concept in sports ethics refers to fair and honest play. It is a state of high morality that describes how to behave and obey the rules while doing sports or in competitions. In terms of ethical values, being a man, being married and having a low level of education constituted the risk group in athletes.

REFERENCES

1. Tepe Küçükoğlu M. (2012). Etik değerler ve etiğin kurumsallaşması. Hukuk ve İktisat Araştırmaları Dergisi, 4(1):177-185.
2. Brabeck MM, Rogers LA, Sirin S, Henderson J, Benvenuto M, Weaver M, et al. (2000). Increasing ethical sensitivity to racial and gender intolerance in schools: Development of the racial ethical sensitivity test. Ethics 2000 Behavior. 10(2):119-137.
3. Tirri K, Nokelainen, P. (2007). Comparison of academically average and gifted students' self-rated ethical sensitivity. Edu Res Evaluat. 13(6):587-601.
4. Yıldırım G, Kadıoğlu S. (2007). Etik ve tıp etiği temel kavramları [Basic concepts of ethics and medical ethics]. C.Ü. Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi. 29(2): 7-12.
5. Karayol M, Eroğlu SY. (2020). Beden eğitimi ve spor öğretmenlerinin mesleki etik ve mesleki motivasyon durumlarının incelenmesi: Muş İli Örneği. Anemon Muş Alparslan Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 8(2):655-664.
6. Choi H, Kim B, Jo S. (2021). The Effect of the Sports Coaches Professıonalısm on Ethical Sensitivity and Guiding Belief. Kinesiology. 6:34-44.
7. Mirfallah-Nassiri R, Tojari F, Zarei A. (2018). Investigating the factors affecting the ethical decision-making of sports consumers. 1(1).
8. Aydoğdu AG, İlhan E. (2018). Etik kavramı çerçevesinde iletişim fakültesi öğrencilerinin magazin medyasına yaklaşımı. Electronic Turkish Studies:13(18).
9. Taş F. (2018). Üniversite öğrencilerinin etik değerlere yatkınlık durumları ve ilişkili faktörler. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 15(2):607-626.
10. Kaya I. (2015). Etik değerlere yatkınlık ölçeği: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi. 8(41):968-974.
11. Mortimer H, Whitehead J, Kavussanu M, Gürpınar B, Ring C. (2021). Values and clean sport. Journal of Sports Sciences. 39(5):533-541.
12. Simon RL, Torres CR, Hager PF. (2018). Fair play: The ethics of sport. Routledge.
13. Gillentine A. (2020). Sports Ethics for Sports Management Professionals. International Journal of Sport Communication. 13(2):266-268.
14. Abanazir C. (2019). Institutionalisation in e-sports. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy. 13(2):117-131.
15. Lundqvist C, Jederström M, Korhonen L, Timpka T. (2022). Nuances in key constructs need attention in research on mental health and psychiatric disorders in sports medicine. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Med. 8(3):e001414.
16. Shawver TJ, Sennetti JT. (2009). Measuring ethical sensitivity and evaluation. J Business Ethics. 88(4):663-678.