Exploring Impact on Students’ Attitudes and Awareness as a Result of Participation in an Undergraduate Sociology of Sport Class

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness and impact of a sociology of sport curriculum on undergraduates’ attitudes and awareness toward a multitude of sociocultural issues in sport. Data were collected through a pretest and posttest survey form designed to assess how students’ attitudes may have developed before and after learning about persistent issues, including the lack of women’s representation in sport media, the use of Native American mascots, and athletes with disabilities. The significance of the study lies in advancing critical pedagogy and contributing to a more socially conscious sport management field. Using a critical pedagogy perspective, the study findings indicate that students’ attitudes changed over the course of the semester. More specifically, we found that students’ attitudes toward the moral qualities of sports, native mascots, gender equity, and ability changed consistently across measures.