Moral, competence, and status values in youth sports: predictors of attitude to moral decision-making

Introduction: Youth sports values play a critical role in shaping moral decision-making, particularly in sports competition. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of moral, competence, and status values on moral decision-making among Indonesian adolescent athletes, focusing on acceptance of cheating, acceptance of gamesmanship, and maintaining proportionality in winning. Methodology: The research involved 173 school athletes aged 12 to 18 years. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the predictive power of these values on ethical attitudes. Results: Moral values significantly predicted reduced acceptance of cheating (b = -0.249, p = 0.008) and increased keeping winning in proportion (b = 0.323, p = 0.000), highlighting their critical role in fostering ethical decision-making. In contrast, status values were strong predictors of both acceptance of cheating (b = 0.351, p = 0.000) and acceptance of gamesmanship (b = 0.434, p = 0.000), while negatively influencing keeping winning in proportion (b = -0.216, p = 0.015). Competence values, however, showed no significant impact across all indicators (p > 0.05), suggesting a limited role in shaping moral attitudes Discussion: These findings underscore the predictive power of moral and status values in determining ethical attitudes among youth athletes, with status values emerging as a potential risk factor for unethical behavior. Conclusions: Moral values play a vital role in promoting fairness in youth sports, whereas status-driven motivations require careful management to mitigate unethical behavior. Educators and coaches should prioritize moral development to foster integrity.