the moral reasoning of student athletes and athletic training students

esponsibility (Cohen, 1998) the many cheating scandals, including the first intercollegiate crew
race in 1852, raise concerns as to whether the way sport is taught, coached, and practiced is
consistent with the ideal mission and goals of both higher education and the NCAA. However,
measuring the development of one’s character in terms of integrity, sportsmanship, and
democratic ideals is difficult, however one way in which researchers have measured the
relationship between the ideal of sport competition in terms of moral character and individual’s
beliefs towards this ideal is through moral reasoning (Lumpkin, Stoll, & Beller, 2003).
Moral reasoning is a cognitive process whereby individuals learn to think, reason, and
reflect relative to a set of moral principles. It is “[t]he ability to systematically think through a
moral problem, taking into consideration one’s own values and beliefs while weighing them
against what others value and believe” (Lumpkin, Beller, & Stoll, 2003, p. 6). Moral reasoning is
not synonymous with moral character but is a necessary component of moral character. Lickona
(1991) argues that good character is comprised of moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral
doing. To act morally requires that an individual know and then value moral principles.
However, just because one knows and values, does not mean right action as there are many
competing factors influencing behavior. But at its very least, moral reasoning is a requisite.
Thus, it is the intention of this study to examine to what extent intercollegiate sport and
higher education fulfill their stated missions of developing character by examining two specific
student populations: student athletes and athletic training students relative to their moral
reasoning, recognizing that moral reasoning is a necessary component of moral character..
The Moral Reasoning of Athletes
Most athletic departments personnel would argue that they work hard to ensure that
student athletes are supported in their educational experiences so that the student can achieve the
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