Background/Purpose Ethical misdeeds are a common topic in today's social conversation. Forsyth (1980) suggests an individual moral philosophy (IMP) model which guides ethical decision-making and judgment in the moral realm. Nowhere is ethical behavior more center stage than in the sport arena. From high-profile recruiting (Yanity & Edmondson, 2011) to advances in sport technology (Loland, 2009) to the mere existence of sport as part of the university system (Feezell, 2009), sport ethics are a hot topic. Recent literature suggests a strong relationship between the coaching and teaching role (Jones, 2006), suggesting that coaches should be held to the same expectations as teachers. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in parental perceptions of ethically-toned behaviors in the teaching and coaching settings.
Method Parents (n=210) were asked to complete the Ethics Position Questionnaire and respond to a series of six vignettes reflecting common issues related to specific coaching and teaching situations.
Analysis/Results Results indicate that the majority of participants (97.6%) could be classified as either situationists (reject moral rules for best possible outcome) or absolutists (conform to moral absolutes) using the IMP model. Results also suggest that parents were more lenient with coaches using harsh language and making decisions based on racial stereotyping than they were with teachers in the same situations.
Conclusions The present study reflects a novel exploration of how parental perceptions differ regarding the teaching and coaching professions. Results support the need for more coaching education. Further results and implications will be discussed.