Linking Teachers’ Universal Sport Values to Students’ Moral Decision-Making in Youth Sport: A Multilevel Analysis

Introduction: this study investigated the relationship between teachers’ universal sport values (UVS) and students’ attitudes toward moral decision-making in youth sport (AMDYS). Although teachers are widely recognized as central agents in values education, little empirical evidence exists on how their personal orientations shape students’ ethical reasoning. This study aims to provide empirical insights into how value orientations at the teacher level may shape students’ ethical reasoning in sport, thereby offering practical implications for strengthening values education in physical education curricula. Methods: a multilevel design was employed with data from 10 physical education teachers and 205 students in Bandung, Indonesia. Instruments included the Universal Values in Sport (UVS) questionnaire and the Attitudes to Moral Decision-Making in Youth Sport Questionnaire-2 (AMDYSQ-2). Linear Mixed Models (LMM) were used to account for the hierarchical structure of students nested within teachers, with random intercepts specified at the teacher level.Results: the analysis revealed significant between-teacher variance (Intercept variance = 14,87, Wald Z = 2,88, p = 0,004), with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0,33, indicating that one-third of the variance in AMDYS was attributable to teacher-level differences. Fixed effects analysis showed that student gender (F = 4.14, p = .043) and teachers’ years of teaching experience (F = 9,74, p = 0,004) significantly predicted AMDYS. Male students reported higher AMDYS scores than females (Mean Difference = 1,65, 95 % CI [0,05, 3,25]), reflecting greater acceptance of cheating and gamesmanship. Students taught by moderately experienced teachers demonstrated stronger moral decision-making compared to those taught by novice or senior teachers. In contrast, teachers’ UVS dimensions, employment status, and school type were not significant predictors.Conclusions: the findings underscore that teacher experience and student gender exert stronger influences on students’ moral decision-making than teachers’ personal value orientations. Possessing sport values alone was insufficient unless they were intentionally and systematically embedded in pedagogical practice. The study emphasizes the significance of professional development programs in equipping teachers with structured strategies for integrating values education into physical education curricula.