The Role of Physical Education Teachers in Implementing Universal Values: A Gender and Educational Level Comparative Study

Abstract

Background: Physical education (PE) offers a unique pedagogical context for the transmission of universal values; however, empirical evidence regarding whether teacher gender or educational level moderates this process remains limited. Objective: This study examined the extent to which PE teachers implement universal values across five dimensions Ethics and Morals, Knowledge and Understanding, Social, Psychological, and Leadership and Organization and investigated whether implementation differs by gender or educational level. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed with 169 in-service PE teachers (113 male, 56 females; 148 Bachelor's degree holders, 21 Master's degree holders) drawn from multiple educational levels. The Universal Values in Sport Instrument (UVSI), a validated 23-item measure across five dimensions (Cronbach's α = 0.990), was used for data collection. Independent-samples t-tests, preceded by Levene's test for equality of variances, were conducted to compare group means. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between male and female teachers across all five dimensions (all p > 0.05). Similarly, no significant differences emerged between Bachelor's and Master's degree holders (all p > 0.05). Conclusions: The implementation of universal values in PE appears to be independent of teacher gender and formal educational attainment. These findings suggest that professional development initiatives targeting values-based teaching should be made universally accessible across teacher demographics, and that school policies should prioritize structured, curriculum-embedded approaches to character education rather than relying on individual teacher characteristics.