Douglas Hochstetler

Using Narratives to Enhance Moral Education in Sport.

JOPERD • Volume 77 No. 4 • April 2006 S tories play an integral role in our lives. They provide a context for us, a backdrop against which to measure our efforts. We learn through these stories or narratives—about the world, our ancestors, and our geographic region. We learn about values, beliefs and ideas, good and evil. Stories can also reinforce moral standards important for society, providing models for living congruent with values such as honesty, integrity, and so forth. Narratives, whether read or told, hold an important place within moral education in large part because of their unique characteristics. Lickona (1991) wrote that stories have been used for centuries because they “teach by attraction rather than compulsion; they invite rather than impose. They capture the imagination and touch the heart” (p. 79). The purpose of this article is to explore the use of narrative as means for moral education in sport. It is assumed that sport is a viable means for promoting moral education, even though, at times, individuals and groups involved with sport act in unethical ways. There are, of course, many forms of stories: fi ctional and factual, short stories, and extended novels. This article focuses on published accounts of sport participants and their actions at various levels of competition and on the possibilities of sharing these types of stories with athletes (primarily in youth sports and high school) as a way to develop and preserve the moral culture in sport. As a means of examining the theory behind the moral life, this article refers to R. M. Hare (1981) who wrote extensively on moral issues and identifi ed two levels of moral thinking. Because these levels help explain how people come to grips with moral issues in their lives, Hare’s levels are used as a paradigm for examining sport stories and their place in moral education. Since stories are so central to this analysis, it is important to share two sporting narratives in the fi rst section. The second section introduces and explains Hare’s levels of moral thinking as well as their relationship with narratives. The fi nal section addresses the educators’ role in using stories for the purpose of moral education, in addition to applications for physical educators.

The Heights of Humanity: Endurance Sport and the Strenuous Mood

In his article, ‘Recovering Humanity: Movement, Sport, and Nature’, Doug Anderson addresses the place of endurance sport, or more generally sport at large, as a potential catalyst for the good life. Anderson contrasts transcendental themes of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson with the pragmatic claims of William James and John Dewey, who focus on human possibility and growth. Our aim is to pursue the pragmatic line of thought championed by James and Dewey as a contrasting but not mutually exclusive motive to Anderson’s analysis. We contend that movement can provide humanizing possibilities even more pronounced for those subscribing to pragmatic themes (i.e., growth and the strenuous mood). We will use running and cycling to demonstrate how the strenuous mood enhances the possibility for this humanizing condition. Specifically, we argue that moving in a committed fashion allows us to deepen our relationship with the respective practice and thus opens the possibilities for ‘recovering our humanity’.

Another Look at “Exercise is Medicine”

In June 2013 the American Medical Association took a formal stance on obesity, referring to it as a “disease” requiring both treatment and prevention. However, the idea of “Exercise is Medicine” may be detrimental for enticing people to participate in sports and physical activity and overlooks numerous other reasons why humans benefit from movement. This article describes how the possibilities of sport and physical activity — for experiencing meaning, delight, and challenge — extend far beyond merely taking our exercise as medicine.

Handing Each Other Along: Developing Leadership in Kinesiology

Developing and sustaining quality leadership is imperative for the overall health of our discipline. Part of our responsibility as educators is to think about how best to encourage this ongoing process. This article examines strategies for fostering disciplinary leadership, handing each other along, and being handed along, in various ways. One aspect is quality mentorship—developing relationships built on discernment, responsibility, and trust. This means the mentor and mentee spend time setting goals and assessing progress. The second aspect involves a broad understanding of human movement and a commitment to critical thinking. The mentor promotes an interdisciplinary understanding of kinesiology, as well as cultivates a reasoned and creative thought process. By working proactively to develop leadership through these means, we increase our chance of improving our discipline for future generations.

Striving towards Maturity: On the Relationship between Prayer and Sport

What should be the proper role of prayer in sport? The purpose of this article is to examine prayer and sport and to offer recommendations based on the notion of spiritual maturity. The Christian athlete, I argue, should strive towards maturity with respect to prayer, as evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit in his or her life.

The Future of Sport Philosophy in Higher Education Kinesiology

ABSTRACT Massengale’s Trends Toward the Future of Physical Education (1987) makes no reference to the existence of the philosophic inquiry of physical activity within higher education kinesiology programs—even though the sub-discipline had been formalized by academics in the early 1970s. In contrast, Massengale and Swanson’s The History of Exercise and Sport Science (1997) dedicated a chapter to sport philosophy’s development, including a prognosis of its future. Since then, there has been tremendous growth in the sub-discipline, including an increase in publication outlets, stand-alone monographs, and the creation of academic associations globally. Yet this growth has not necessarily secured sport philosophy’s place in higher education curriculum. In this article, we briefly review the history of philosophic inquiry into physical activity and review previous predictions of the sub-discipline’s future before offering our own prognostication of its future in higher education.

Narratives, Identity, and Transformation

In attempt to honor the legacy of Dudley Allen Sargent and address our current concerns in kinesiology in a transformative manner, this article examines both our collective and individual narratives with respect to kinesiology and examines how this relates to our identity. In the language of anthropologist Clifford Geertz, we need to examine the kind of stories we tell about ourselves and the kind of stories others tell about us. I contend that we need to not only share our own individual and collective narratives but also make space to listen to the narratives of others.

Wilderness and Kinesiology.

In this article I examine the theme of wilderness through the lens of American philosopher Henry Bugbee. His conception of wilderness goes beyond the literal sense of the word to what Mooney (1999) terms “a generous space of listening, mutuality of address and presence” (p. ix). I contend that Bugbees metaphorical expression of wilderness has purchase for our discipline. For those involved in Kinesiology, this wilderness theme has a bearing on the way we approach our career, relate to our students and colleagues; it provides guidance for the integrity by which we hold together our inner and outer selves. My purpose here is to delineate Bugbees use of the term wilderness and describe the upshot of the wilderness metaphor for Kinesiology.

Identity Politics and Kinesiology

ABSTRACT Recognizing the increased focus on identity politics in higher education and the broader culture, the National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE) recently focused on the topic of identity politics at the 2016 Leader Development Workshop. My aim in this article is to introduce and explain concepts related to identity politics, a term commonly understood to involve the ways in which various aspects of identity (e.g., race, religion, social class) may influence decision making. The term “identity politics” has become both informative as well as divisive. To this end, I want to prompt us to think about how identity politics relates to our discipline of kinesiology, especially as it pertains to those in leadership positions.

Normative concerns for endurance athletes

Abstract Endurance athletes work at creating habits and lifestyles which correspond to Aristotle’s notion of eudomania (human flourishing). They spend time and energy dedicating themselves to their craft. They relinquish other interests in pursuit of excellence. They fully accept William James’ notion of precipitousness as they create goals and work toward achievement. In this paper, we examine normative issues related to endurance sport participation, the potential dark side of this pursuit of excellence. Our overriding concern is how best to work toward and experience human flourishing while simultaneously remaining attentive to relationships and responsibilities. In terms of potential perils associated with endurance sport, we address questions of autonomy, authenticity and identification. We contend that endurance athletes concerned with these questions benefit from transcendental and pragmatic notions of the good life.