| The purpose of this study was to compare male junior college student athletes on the acute affects of athletic competition on levels of moral reasoning for sport type and swimming, a non-contact sport. The subjects (total n = 163) were administered the Hahm-Beller Values Choice Inventory (HBVCI). The HBVCI is an established five-point Likert Scale type instrument that measures the level of moral reasoning adhered to in response to scenarios presenting a moral dilemma within a typical sport context.;Data were collected from members of nine junior college teams at eight different schools located in central California at three separate test times. The pretest was approximately two to three days prior to a scheduled intercollegiate competition. The posttest was administered immediately upon conclusion of the competition with the post-posttest being administered approximately two to three days after the competition.;Analysis of test scores indicated significant differences for sport type (F&barbelow; 30.103, p&barbelow; < .001), and test time (F&barbelow; = 10.269, p&barbelow; < 001). Moral reasoning levels did appear to decrease as a result of athletic competition. Also, baseball, a contact sport scored lower in moral reasoning levels than swimming, a non-contact sport. Game result yielded no significant difference. However, a significant sport type x game result interaction occurred (F&barbelow; = 18.371, p&barbelow; < .001). The data revealed a higher moral reasoning level for swimming after winning than after losing. In contrast, the data revealed a lower level of moral reasoning for baseball after winning than after losing. This result for the sport of baseball did not support the study's hypothesis stating that winning male athletes will experience higher moral reasoning levels than losing male athletes. However, for the sport of swimming, winning athletes scored higher in moral reasoning levels than did losing athletes.;Overall, this study supported the notion that actual athletic competition does appear to result in a temporary decrease in moral reasoning levels. The study also supported previous literature that the greater the degree of physical contact inherent to a sport, the lower the moral reasoning levels of its participants. |
