Evaluation of the Hidden Curriculum of School Sports Activities: A Philosophical Explanation of Moral Values, Representation of Motor Behavior, and Students’ Moral-Cognitive Development
Keywords:
Performance teacher, Peer culture and the distribution of power, Moral development of studentsAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the hidden curriculum of school sports activities and philosophically explain the role and representation of moral values in students’ motor behavior and moral-cognitive development.
Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted using a multiple-case study design. Participants comprised 30 physical education teachers, school principals and deputies, experts in curriculum studies, philosophy of education and moral education, and lower-secondary students in Tehran, Iran. They were selected through purposive maximum-variation sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations of 18 sports sessions in six schools, and analysis of documents related to physical education programs and school competitions. Data collection and analysis were conducted concurrently using reflective thematic analysis, constant comparison, and philosophical interpretation of moral concepts. Credibility was enhanced through data-source triangulation, member checking, peer review, and maintenance of a detailed audit trail.
Findings: The analysis generated four main themes, 13 subthemes, and 52 initial concepts. The main themes were the moral value system of sports activities, the bodily and motor representation of morality, hidden mechanisms of power, justice, and participation, and the moral-cognitive consequences of sports experiences. Emphasis on winning, physical competence, and repeated selection of high-performing students increased the likelihood of excluding less-skilled students and reinforcing status hierarchies. Conversely, equitable distribution of opportunities, cooperation, respect, fair play, and inclusive participation were associated with greater self-restraint, responsibility, recognition of others’ rights, and more complex moral judgment. Behaviors such as controlling physical contact, helping teammates, accepting defeat, and voluntarily acknowledging mistakes represented observable manifestations of internalized moral values.
Conclusion: The hidden curriculum of school sports may either foster students’ moral development or reproduce exclusion, discrimination, and excessive result orientation, depending on activity organization, teacher conduct, peer culture, and the distribution of power and opportunities. Realizing the educational potential of sports therefore requires alignment between formal goals and actual practices, equitable participation, and the integration of motor experiences with moral dialogue and reflection.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mehdi Akbarzadeh Sagay, Hamed Ebadi Barbin, Mikaeil Imani, Parisa Masoudian (Author); Nasrin Mohaddes
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