ATHLETIC IDENTITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO MORAL VALUES AMONG PHYSICAL EDUCATION UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Obeidat Lubna Mahmoud; Momani Hazim Issa; Ammari Tarek Turki; Rababah Mahmoud Ali

УДК 37.037

DOI: 10.17853/1994-5639-2022-3-41 -77

ATHLETIC IDENTITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO MORAL VALUES AMONG PHYSICAL EDUCATION UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

L. M. Obeidat1, H. I. Momani2, T. T. Amman3, M. A. Rababah*4

Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt, Jordan.

E-mail: 'Lubna.222@bau.edu.jo; 2Dr.hazim_momani@bau.edu.jo;

3tarek@bau.edu.jo; 4mrababah@bau.edu.jo *Corresponding author

Abstract. Introduction. Physical education (PE) is one of the majors that some people and societies may consider less important than other majors which reduces the importance of the specialisation in this field. The investigation of athletic identity and its relationship to moral values among PE university students is an attempt to see the extent of the athletic identity may influence the possession of moral values among individuals who work in the PE field. This evaluation study seen from PE students' perception is a new study that has not been carried out in Jordan. Most dominant researchers in Jordan and the Arab world evaluate athletic identity or possession of moral values but they have not studied the relation between the two variables.

Aim. The present research aims to evaluate the athletic identity with relation to moral values based on the perceptions of PE university students.

Methodology and research methods. A descriptive approach was used to analyse the data. To collect data, a questionnaire was applied. The questionnaire consists of two scales. The first is the Athletic Identity Measuremtent Scale (AIMS), consisting of 14 items distributed over three domains: socialisation identity (5 items), exclusivity (5 items), and negative emotion (4 items). The second is the Moral Values Scale (MVS), consisting of 27 items, distributed into five domains: responsibility (7 items), honesty, (5 items), socialisation (10 items), beauty (5 items), and competition (5 items). The study sample consisted of 280 students of Faculty of Physical Education at Yarmouk University.

Results and scientific novelty. The results revealed that the level of athletic identity among students was rated high with statistically significant differences in favour of males. The domain of negative emotion was rated first, followed by exclusivity and socialisation identity respectively. The domains of moral values were estimated high in which competition domain was rated first, followed by beauty, honesty, responsibility and socialisation respectively. The results also demonstrated that there was a positive statistically significant relationship between athletic identity and moral values.

Practical significance. The study recommends consolidating athletic identity among students through increasing sports participation and activities, strengthening academic courses that deal with sports culture and sports values, involving female students in sports activities to enhance the level of their athletic identity to bridge the gap in the level of athletic identity between them and male students.

Keywords: athletic identity, moral values, faculty of physical education, Yarmouk University.

For citation: Obeidat L. M., Momani H. I., Ammari T. T., Rababah M. A. Athletic identity and its relationship to moral values among physical education university students. The Education and Science Journal. 2022; 24 (3): 41-77. DOI: 10.17853/1994-5639-2022-3-41-77

СПОРТИВНАЯ ИДЕНТИЧНОСТЬ И ЕЕ СВЯЗЬ С НРАВСТВЕННЫМИ ЦЕННОСТЯМИ СРЕДИ СТУДЕНТОВ, ОБУЧАЮЩИХСЯ НА СПЕЦИАЛЬНОСТИ «ФИЗИЧЕСКОЕ ВОСПИТАНИЕ»

Л. М. Обейдат1, Ч. И. Момани2, Т. Т. Аммари3, М. А. Рабаба4

Прикладной университет Аль-Балка, Аль-Сальт, Иордания.

E-mail: 'Lubna.222@bau.edu.jo; 2Dr.hazim_momani@bau.edu.jo;

3tarek@bau.edujo; 4mrababah@bau.edu.jo

Аннотация. Введение. Физическое воспитание (PE) является одной из специальностей, которую часть людей или даже обществ могут считать менее важными, чем другие научные и социальные специальности, что снижает важность специализации в данной области. Исследование спортивной идентичности и ее связи с моральными ценностями среди студентов, обучающихся физическому воспитанию, является попыткой увидеть, в какой степени спортивная идентичность может влиять на обладание моральными ценностями у людей, работающих в этой сфере. Это оценочное исследование с точки зрения восприятия студентов является новым, ранее не проводившимся. Большинство ведущих исследователей в Иордании и арабском мире в целом оценивают спортивную идентичность или обладание моральными ценностями, но они не изучали взаимосвязь между ними.

Цель. Настоящее исследование направлено на оценку спортивной идентичности по отношению к моральным ценностям на основе представлений студентов, обучающихся физическому воспитанию.

Методология и методы исследования. Для анализа данных применялся описательный подход. Для сбора данных использовалась анкета, состоящая из двух шкал. Первая -шкала спортивной идентичности, состоящая из 14 пунктов, распределенных по трем областям: социализация идентичности (5 пунктов), эксклюзивность (5 пунктов) и негативные эмоции (4 пункта). Вторая - шкала нравственных ценностей, включающая 27 пунктов, распределенных по пяти доменам: ответственность (7 баллов), честность (5 баллов), социализация (10 баллов), красота (5 баллов) и конкуренция (5 баллов). Выборка состояла из 280 студентов факультета физического воспитания Ярмукского университета.

Результаты и научная новизна. В результате исследования выявлено, что уровень спортивной идентичности у студентов высокий со статистически значимыми различиями в пользу юношей. На первое место вышла сфера негативных эмоций, за которой следуют замкнутость и социализация идентичности соответственно. Сферы моральных ценностей оценивались высоко, на первом месте стояла сфера конкуренции, за ней следовали красота, честность, ответственность и социализация соответственно. Результаты также показали, что существует положительная статистически значимая связь между спортивной идентичностью и моральными ценностями.

Практическая значенимость. Данное исследование рекомендует укреплять спортивную идентичность среди учащихся за счет расширения участия в спортивных мероприятиях, совершенствования академических курсов, посвященных спортивной культуре и спортивным ценностям, привлечения студенток к спортивным мероприятиям для повышения уровня их спортивной идентичности, преодоления разрыва в уровне спортивной идентичности между студентами женского мужского пола.

Ключевые слова: спортивная идентичность, нравственные ценности, факультет физической культуры, Ярмукский университет.

Для цитирования: Обейдат Л. М., Момани Х. И., Аммари Т. Т., М. А. Рабабах. Спортивная идентичность и ее связь с нравственными ценностями среди студентов, обучающихся на специальности «Физическое воспитание» // Образование и наука. 2022. Т. 24, № 3. С. 41-77. DOI: 10.17853/1994-5639-2022-3-41-77

Introduction

Physical education (PE) is considered a profession and a specialisation like any other professions. What raises or reduces the profession and specialisation the individuals through their respect and appreciation for themselves first and for the message they carry second, which is the athletic identity here. Athletic identity is one of the most important sports domains and pillars, which has become the focus of attention of researchers, specialists and those interested in the sports field. This has been supported by some recent studies that dealt with athletic identity in one way or another. The importance of athletic identity appears through its connection to vital and important topics such as self-identity [1], national identity [2], the level of sports activity [4], organisation of physical education at the university based on students' constitutional types and health groups [5], the impact of practical aspects of communication and thinking skills formation on improving self-management skills in university students [6], career maturity and decision-making among athletes in universities [7], sports satisfaction and creative thinking [8-9], psychological stress [10], and moral thinking [11-12], the level of sports culture [13], psychosomatic symptoms [14], and self-esteem [15].

Brewer et al. defined athletic identity as the degree of strength, importance and exclusivity with which an individual is known according to his/her sports role [9]. It consists of three main domains: the socialisation identity domain, which revolves around the athlete's vision of himself/herself as an athlete in the eyes of others, and the domain of socialisation identity, which revolves around the athlete's vision of himself/herself as an athlete in the eyes of others, exclusivity domain which is related to the athlete's self-knowledge, and the domain of negative emotion, which is related to the athlete's fear of low performance and not performing the tasks required of him/her as he/she should perform. There is no doubt that athletic identity is affected by several factors that vary according to the culture of society, as the level of athletic identity changes from one society to another according to socio-cultural factors [16]. Qaddoumi confirmed that socio-cultural factors have a real impact at the level of athletic identity among

students majoring in physical education [17]. Miltiadis et al. stated that there are other factors that affect athletic identity, such as age, university sports activities and gender among physical education students [18].

Literature Review

The Concept and Components of Athletic Identity

Athletic identity is defined as the degree of strength, importance and exclusivity that shows the individual's attachment, love and attachment to sport [4]. According to the Brewer and Cornelius, Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) consists of three domains: the socialisation identity domain, which sheds light on how the athlete perceives himself/herself as an athlete in the eyes of others, and the second domain is exclusivity, which sheds light on the self-image of the individual as an athlete. The third domain is negative affectivity, which sheds light on the athlete's fear of poor performance and not performing the role required of them as they should perform [19].

Regarding the studies related to athletic identity, they focused on studying the players' issues in various sports. For instance, Bogdanov aimed to determine the impact of the athletic identity of the national team players for team games on the national identity of athletes in Serbia and Ireland [2]. To achieve this, the study was conducted on a sample of 691 players from Serbia and 194 players from Ireland. The results showed a positive relationship between the athletic identity of national teams and the national identity of players in Serbia and Ireland. Also, the results revealed that there were differences in the athletic identity according to the variables of gender, age, and educational qualification in favour of males and for the highest and older qualifications.

Reifsteck studied the relationship between athletic identity and levels of sports activity after retirement of university athletes [4]. To achieve this, the study was conducted on a sample of 59 retired athletes. The results of the study demonstrated a positive relationship between athletic identity and the level of sports activity. Adams studied the current reality of athletic identity and self-identity and its role in predicting career maturity among secondary school students, who are practitioners and non-practitioners of sports in the USA [1]. The study sample consisted of 133 male and female students, who practice sports, and 141 students, who are not practising sports. The results of the study showed a positive relationship between athletic identity and self-identity, and the existence of differences in athletic identity and self-identity between athletes and non-athletes in favour of athletes. The results also demonstrated that there were differences in athletic identity and self-identity between males and females in favour of males, while the differences in functional maturity were better for

females than males. With regard to the relationship with functional maturity, it was not statistically significant.

Al-Qaddoumi and Al-Amad examined the relationship between athletic identity and self-esteem among physical education students in the Palestinian universities. The study sample included 305 students [17]. Two measures were used: AIMS and self-esteem scale. The results of the study displayed that the level of identity and sports self-esteem was high, and the relationship between athletic identity and self-esteem was positive. They also showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the level of athletic identity due to university variables, academic level and accumulative average. However, the differences in the level of athletic identity were statistically significant between males and females in favour of males. The results also indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in the level of self-esteem due to the variables of gender, university, and accumulative average, while the differences were statistically significant according to the academic level variable in favour of the fourth-year students.

Al-Zubaidi and Hamidi studied the relationship between athletic identity and creative thinking among basketball players in Iraq. The study sample included 24 athletes [8]. The researchers concluded that there was a direct correlation between the athletic identity and the creative thinking of basketball players. Indriuniene examined the relationship between athletic identity and psychological stress among students of the faculty of physical education participating in sports activities in Lithuania [10]. The study sample consisted of 214 students whose ages ranged between 25-18 years. They were divided into two groups: the first group consisted of students who practice their activities 2-3 times a week, and the second group consisted of students who practice their activities two times daily with the aim of reaching higher levels. The results of the study revealed that the level of athletic identity among the members of the second group was high with a high degree of psychological tension compared with the first group.

Al-Qaddoumi studied the level of sports culture and its relationship to the athletic identity of physical education students at An-Najah National University in Palestine [13]. The study was conducted on a stratified random sample of 152 students. The researchers used Shahada's scale [49] for sports culture, and the scale for athletic identity developed by Brewer et al. [9]. The results of the study indicated that the levels of sports culture and the level of athletic identity were very high among students of physical education specialisation. In addition, there was a positive statistically significant relationship between the level of sports culture and athletic identity. The results also indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the level of athletic identity due to

the gender variable in favour of male students. And there were no statistically significant differences in the level of sports culture according to the variables of gender and study level.

Abdel-Sadah et al. examined the relationship of psychophysical symptoms to achieving goals and sporting identity among club players in Najaf Governorate in Iraq. The research sample consisted of 30 players [14]. Personal interviews and a questionnaire were used to collect data. The study concluded that the psychophysical symptoms were the result of psychological pressures that fall on the player due to the social circumstances surrounding him/her or the type of activity he/she exercises, and the relationship between psychophysical symptoms and achieving goals. Athletic identity was so great that psychophysical symptoms played a major role in the player's continued performance the sporting event he/she desires.

Al-Saadoun investigated the athletic identity and its psycho-social impact after retiring among the team players of basketball, handball and football in Jordan [20]. The sample consisted of 80 athletes, who retired from each game. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The results of the study revealed that the level of athletic identity was high, and that the socialisation domain came in the first place, followed by the domain of exclusivity and finally the domain of negative emotion.

Al-Baik and Al-Janabi studied the athletic identity of the players of volleyball clubs for the Iraqi League in Kurdistan according to years of experience using the descriptive approach on a random research sample consisting of 100 players from 20 clubs [21]. The results revealed that the players possess an athletic identity at high levels, and that athletic identity is rooted in players with more years of experience than those with fewer years.

Moral Values

Al-Hajeej defined moral values as a set of rules and standards regulating behaviours and consistent with human nature and regulating their acquisition and development through education as ethics that govern the relationship of the individual with others [22]. They are psychological organisations acquired by the individual through living with the values, customs and traditions of the social milieu in which the individual lives and exercises his/her role through. These organisations are evident through the individual's attitude towards life and his/ her interactions with himself/herself and others [23].

Moral values are also defined as judgments that an individual makes with preference or lack of preference for subjects or things, and this process takes place through the interaction between the individual with his/her knowledge and experiences and between representatives of the civilised framework in which

he/she lives [24]. Saleh defined moral values as a set of laws and standards that emanate from a group, and serve as guidelines for judging material and moral actions and practices, which have power and influence on the group with the character of necessity, obligation and generality [25]. Any deviation from this becomes a departure from the group's goals and ideals. Also, moral values are defined as rules regulating social interactions and relationships between individuals within societies by relying on concepts such as trust, justice and rights [26]. Moral values are a social standard related to morality for the individual and the group, and evaluate the balances of behaviour and actions, as they are taken as a monitor that guides to knowing the good from the bad [14].

The importance of moral values is demonstrated through their association with vital and important topics such as family climate [3] and quality of life [27], social relations [28], social intelligence [29] and moral judgment [3]. Values are one of the important determinants of social behaviour which can be learned and acquired. Once individuals acquire these values, they become in themselves a criterion for guiding their behaviour and forming their attitudes towards topics and situations that have a relationship to a value. The individuals' saturation with values leads them to becoming motives in their psychological formation, shaping their behaviour and determining the rules of this behaviour. The importance of values in the life of the individuals is revealed in terms of their effective contribution to building their personality, shaping their thinking and upgrading their capabilities. And their importance is not limited to this point, but they penetrate into one's life because they are linked to them with the meaning of life itself. They also serve as guides for balancing between their personal interests and the interests of society [31]. A person lives in this life according to certain values that he/she applies or seeks to reach. Values are also considered a type of determinants or goals. Access to them is a type of success, and a sign of the good progress of work in its previous stages.

Physical education and sports are considered as a social phenomenon that seeks to provide the individual with various forms of acceptable social behaviour, such as cooperation, good morals, and good sportsmanship. Through sport and participation, the correct traditions and customs and all aspects of the social, civil and cultural development of society become clear in the sense that this helps the individual to know the prevailing values and concepts in his/her society. This is what socialisation aspires to, since it is the process of inculcating the individual's values, concepts and culture of the society in which he/she lives [32]. Physical education activities are a field of social, psychological, physical, health and educational values that an individual can acquire in his/her daily life through physical education curricula planned in practical and theoretical curricula.

Abu Al-Fahm revealed that the interest in sports beliefs is a reaction to awareness of the benefits that these beliefs bring to all individuals and people in general. Although individuals' concepts differ in form, they agree in content [33]. And that sport is the educational process that aims to form an integrated and balanced human in all knowledge, self-kinetic and emotional aspects. And sports values include different areas of life, including fun, in addition to legal and free play. Practical participation also includes adherence to regulations and laws, respect for all players, and punishment for inappropriate behaviour. The sports group believes in positive educational values and translates them into the realistic behaviour of societies in achieving their goals and objectives with adequacy and competence.

The objectives and activities of physical education are among the most important programmes through which sound and moral social values such as strengthening the individual's social relations with others, improving the process of personal and social adaptation and providing the individual with values can be instilled in students. This can be through providing trends and standards of proper sports behaviour to qualify individuals to be good citizens in their community through the practice of sports activities, which are one of the methods for the integration of the individual with his/her society [28].

Physical education constitutes an appropriate base for building social relationships among students due to its dynamic, intellectual, and emotional interaction, which contributes to satisfying students' needs, interests, desires and tendencies. It helps to achieve their personal goals, psychological and social development, improving their performance of their jobs and social roles, and shaping their attitudes, values and principles. As such, it helps in controlling and modifying individuals' behaviours, and in obtaining better opportunities to establish friendships [34]. The sports activities and programmes offered at the university would contribute to the development of good manners and good treatment, refine students' behaviour, enhance their attitudes towards proper behaviour and instill values and morals that a society is satisfied with, such as helping others, cleanliness, acquaintance, altruism, and respect for others. They also contribute to the development of desirable trends, such as the student's pride in his/her thought, homeland, values and morals. They work on students' development, and contribute to strengthening the relationship between them and their colleagues, on the one hand, and between them and the faculty members, administrative supervisors, and the family and society, on the other hand. As such, this highlights and enhances the students' independence, self-confidence, dependence and endurance [28].

With regards to studies related to values in the sports field, it was also found that they focused on studying athletic identity and moral values among

students of physical education and practitioners of sports activities. These studies benefited in defining and selecting the study method, in addition to improving the two tools for measuring both the athletic identity and moral values. Among these studies is Al-Batikhi's research, which aimed to build a measure for the educational values acquired through the practice of sports activities for the students of the University of Jordan [40]. The study used the descriptive survey method. The study sample consisted of 100 students practising various sports activities such as football, basketball, squash and table tennis from different university faculties. After conducting the statistical treatments of the collected data, the researcher reached a scale of values consisting of 38 items distributed on six domains: responsibility, honesty, cooperation, social and competition. The results showed that the students of the University of Jordan, who practice sports activities, have high educational values.

Al-Askar studied the educational values of sports practice among students of physical education faculties in the Jordanian universities [39]. The sample consisted of 400 students of the faculties of physical education in the Jordanian universities. The study found that there are statistically significant differences in students' estimates of the educational values of sports practice among students to a high and very high degree. It also displayed that there are statistically significant differences due to the gender variable in most fields in favour of females.

Al-Zayoud and Bani Melhem examined the importance of sports activities in improving social relations among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University [28]. A questionnaire, consisting of 31 items distributed into five areas (personal social area, socio-cultural area, the extent of belonging to the university, social ties, and the field of social interaction), was used to collect data. The sample consisted of 210 students, who were chosen randomly. The results showed that sports activities play an important and effective role in enhancing the level of social relations between students and consequently improvement in their social interaction, which contributes to their cohesion, interdependence and adaptation to the university environment, and alleviates the feeling of distress. The study indicated that social isolation leads to mental illness, and the practice of sports activities contributes to the exchange of cultures and experiences among students, the acquisition of normal social values, leadership training, and continuous evaluation of self and others. The study also showed that there are differences between the sexes due to the importance of sports activities, but they enhanced the interaction and adaptation of students of different gender and academic level with each other and with the university environment.

Al-Zayoud et al. examined the beliefs of Yarmouk University students about the role of sport in promoting social, moral and national values [41]. The

researchers used the descriptive survey method by applying a questionnaire consisting of 57 items, divided into three areas, namely social values, moral values, national values on a random sample of 650 students of 'fitness for all courses' at University of Yarmouk. The results of the study indicated that students' beliefs about sports have positive repercussions in developing and strengthening moral, social and national values, and that males are more affected by the repercussions of practicing sports activities on social, moral and national values than females.

Abu Zima' and Al-Widyan studied the role of swimming in the growth and development of educational values for swimmers and female swimmers in Jordan, as well as the differences in educational values according to the gender variable [35]. A questionnaire consisting of 48 items divided into 5 domains was used to collect data. The study sample included 75 swimmers representing the Jordanian clubs affiliated with the Jordan Swimming Federation. The results showed that the domain 'the aesthetic values of performance' was ranked first, followed by cognitive values, moral values, social values, and economic values respectively. The study also revealed that there were statistically significant differences between male and female swimmers in the moral values domain in favour of female swimmers.

Al-Adl and Aliwa studied the impact of the relationship between moral values and quality of life among students of the faculties of general education and physical education at the Egyptian University of Zagazig [27]. The sample consisted of 942 students, including 464 from the faculty of physical education, and 478 from the faculty of education. Two scales were built: the scale of moral values, and the scale of quality of life. The results of the research confirmed the existence of a positive, statistically significant correlation between the degrees of the domains of the moral values scale and the total score and the degrees of the domains of the quality of life scale and the total score among students of the faculty of education, as well as among students of the faculty of physical education. There were no statistically significant differences between male and female students of the college of education in moral values and quality of life. Also, there were no differences between male and female students of the college of physical education in the variables of moral values and quality of life in the light of the variables 'kind of student' and 'academic level'.

Problem Statement

Physical education is one of the majors or specialties that some societies may consider less important than other majors, which reduces the importance of the specialisation. The faculties of physical education seek to prepare graduates, who have the ability and competence to teach and train together after graduation. Despite the importance of athletic identity and moral values among students of

physical education, the researchers have not found any study that focused on studying them together, but they were studied independently, which indicates the originality of the current study. Hence the problem of the study arose for the researchers can be summarised in answering the following questions:

1. What is the level of athletic identity among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University?

2. Are there differences in the level of athletic identity among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University according to the variables of gender and academic level?

3. What is the level of moral values among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University?

4. Are there any differences in moral values among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University according to the variables of gender and academic level?

5. Is there a relationship between athletic identity and moral values among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University?

The Importance of the Study

The importance of the study is highlighted in:

1. It addresses the values of sports practice at the university level in order to achieve the needs of students, and consolidate the principles of modern physical education in the balanced growth of the individual's personality, and assist physical education teachers in developing their curriculum to achieve national, social, ethical and behavioural goals in preparation for reaching the realities of values in the context of methodological and teaching variables in the faculties of physical education in Jordanian universities.

2. The current study is distinguished from previous studies in terms of its interest in studying the relationship between athletic identity and moral values in the sports field in a collective manner not individually, given their importance to the graduate of physical education, and this in turn confirms the importance of conducting such a study.

3. The present research investigates the athletic identity and moral values of the students of the faculty of physical education; therefore, it contributes to the knowledge of strengths to consolidate them and weaknesses to treat them. This is with the aim of reassuring the graduates' future and their success in their work after graduation, as those who possess good moral values and a good athletic identity will have better belonging to the profession in the future and better social behaviour.

4. The current study contributes to determining the nature of the relationship between athletic identity and moral values among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University.

5. The current study contributes to identifying the differences in the level of athletic identity and moral values among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University according to the variables of gender and academic level.

Objectives of the Study

This study aims at:

1. Identifying the level of moral values among students of the Faculty of Physical Education at Yarmouk University, and the differences based on gender and academic level variables.

2. Identifying the level of sports identity among students of the Faculty of Physical Education at Yarmouk University and the differences according to the variables of gender and academic level.

3. Identifying the relationship between sports identity and moral values among students of the Faculty of Physical Education at Yarmouk University.

Methods

Study Approach

The researchers followed the descriptive analytical approach in all its procedures in terms of defining the study population and its sample, and applying the measures of athletic identity and moral values among students, due to its suitability for the purposes of the study.

Community and Sample of the Study

The study population consisted of students of bachelor of physical education at Yarmouk University, of both sexes, and of different academic levels. The population of the study is 1843 male and female students (1220 males and 623 females) for the academic year 2020/2021. The study sample consisted of 280 male and female students, at a rate of 15.2% of the study population, who were randomly selected from the students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University according to the variables of gender and the study level (first, second, third, fourth). Table 1 shows the distribution of the study sample members according to gender and study level.

Study Tools

The First Tool: Athletic Identity Measuremtent Scale (AIMS)

The researchers adopted the Athletic Identity Measuremtent Scale (AIMS) of Brewer and Cornelius, which is the most widely used scale in previous studies to measure athletic identity [19]. The original scale consisted of 7 items, which

were distributed on three domains: socialisation identity (3 items), exclusivity (2 items), and negative emotion (2 items).

Table 1

Distribution of study sample members by variable (gender and study level)

Gender

_Male_Female_Total

Level Freshman Count 48 57 105

_% of total_17.1%_20.4%_37.5%

Sophomore Count 22 48 70

_% of total_7.9%_17.1%_25.0%

Junior Count 37 29 66

_% of total_13.2%_10.4%_23.6%

Senior Count 18 21 39

_% of total_6.4%_7.5%_13.9%

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Total Count 125 155 280

% of total 44.6% 55.4% 100.0%

The scale was used in many studies such as Walan et al. and it was translated into Arabic by Qaddoumi and Al-Amad [13]. The researchers presented the scale to a group of specialised reviewers and took their notes. The wording of some items was modified and new items were added to the scale so that the scale in its final form consisted of 14 items, distributed over three domains: socialisation identity (5 items), exclusivity (5 items), and negative emotion (4 items). The researchers confirmed the validity of the scale by applying it to a sample of 35 students from the study community and outside its real sample. The value of the item's correlation coefficient with the total score of the domain to which it belongs, as well as with the total score of the scale was not less than 0.20. They also verified the stability of the scale in two ways:

Repetition stability (stability coefficient): The scale was applied to an exploratory sample consisting of 35 students, using the test-retest method, with an interval of two weeks. The correlation coefficient (Pearson) was calculated between the two applications of the scale as a whole and for each area of the scale. The value of the scale domains ranged between 0.78-0.86 and for the scale as a whole 0.85 as shown in Table 2.

Internal consistency stability (Cronbach's alpha): The internal consistency stability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha equation, where the value of Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged between 0.79-0.86 and for the scale as a whole 0.88, and Table 2 shows this.

Table 2

Repetition stability coefficient and internal consistency for each domain of the AIMS and for the scale as a whole

Repeat stability coefficient Internal consistency stability coefficient Domain

0.78 0.83 Socialisation identity

0.81 0.79 Exclusivity

0.86 0.86 Negative emotion

0.85 0.88 The scale as a whole

The Second Tool: Moral Values Scale

The researchers prepared a scale of moral values after looking at a number of scales prepared for this purpose such as Batikhi's [40] scale, Al-Adl and Aliwa's scale [27] and the scale developed by Zayoud et al. [41]. The scale in its final form consisted of 27 items, distributed into five domains: responsibility (7 items), honesty, (5 items), socialisation (10 items), beauty (5 items), and competition (5 items). These items were answered on a five-point scale (strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree). The validity of the content of the scale was verified by presenting it to a group of specialised reviewers and their comments were taken into account. To ensure the validity of the scale construction, it was applied to an exploratory sample from outside the study sample that consisted of 35 students. The corrected item-total correlation coefficient was calculated for the correlation of each item of the scale with the domain to which it belongs and with the scale as a whole. Two criteria were adopted to keep the items in the first scale, which is the presence of statistical significance of the correlation of the item with the total mark of the domain to which it belongs, as well as with the total mark of the scale. The second is that the value of the item's correlation coefficient with the total mark of the domain to which it belongs, as well as with the total mark of the scale shall not be less than 0.20.

The stability of the scale was confirmed by applying it to a sample from outside the study sample through two methods:

Repetition stability (stability coefficient): The scale was applied to an exploratory sample from outside the study sample, consisting of 35 students using the test-retest method with an interval of two weeks, where Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated between the two applications. Its value for the domains of the scale ranged between 0.77-0.85 and for the scale as a whole which is amounted to 0.83 as shown in Table 3.

The stability of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha): it was calculated using the equation of Cronbach's alpha, where its values for the domains of the scale ranged between 0.79-0.83 and for the scale as a whole 0.84 as shown in Table 3.

Table 3

Repetition stability coefficient and internal consistency for each domain of the moral values scale and for the scale as a whole

Repeat stability coefficient Internal consistency stability coefficient Domain

0.77 0.80 Responsibility

0.81 0.79 Honesty

0.83 0.83 Social

0.81 0.82 Beauty

0.85 0.82 Competition

0.83 0.84 The scale as a whole

Correction Method for the Two Scales

The respondents were asked to place a sign (x) in front of each item of the athletic identity and the moral values scales to indicate the extent to which the item's content matches their personal conviction, according to a five-fold scale: strongly agree, agree, I do not know, disagree, strongly disagree. Positive items were given (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) respectively and vice versa for negative items. To identify the level of the athletic identity as a whole and the moral values as a whole and for each of its domains, the statistical criterion, based on means, was used as shown in Table 4.

Table 4

The level of athletic identity as a whole and moral values as a whole and for each of its domains

Level Mean for each domain

Low From 1.00 - less than 2.34

Average From 2.34 - less than 3.67

High From 3.67-5.00

Study Procedures

1. The study was carried out according to the following procedures:

2. The study population was identified and sampled from undergraduate students at the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University.

3. The two study tools were prepared, namely, the AIMS which in its final form consisted of 14 items, and the moral values scale which consisted of 27 items.

4. The stability of the two study tools was confirmed by applying the questionnaires on an exploratory sample from outside the study sample which consisted of 35 students to calculate the coefficient of stability and internal consistency.

5. The study tools were distributed to 315 students, of whom 280 students responded to the questionnaire, who constituted the members of the study sample.

Study Variables

The study included the following variables: gender, the study level (first, second, third and fourth levels), athletic identity as a whole (represented by the mean of the estimates of the study sample members on the items of athletic identity, and moral values (represented by the mean of the estimates of the study sample members on the items of the moral values scale).

Statistical Analysis

To answer the first and third questions, means and standard deviations were used to identify the level of athletic identity as a whole and the level of moral values as a whole and each of their domains among the study sample members. To answer the second and fourth questions, the means and standard deviations according to the variable (gender, study level), and two-way ANOVA were used to find out the statistical significance of the apparent differences between the means for the estimates of the study sample on the items of the scale of moral values as a whole and the athletic identity as a whole. Also, means and standard deviations according to the variable (gender, study level), and Two Way MANOVA were used to find out the statistical significance of the apparent differences between the means for the estimates of the study sample on each domain of the moral values scale and each of the domains of the AIMS according to the variable (gender, study level). To answer the fifth question, Pearson correlation coefficient was used to find out the relationship between athletic identity and moral values.

Findings

The results are presented according to the research questions as follows:

RQ1. What is the level of athletic identity among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University?

The means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample members were calculated on the items of the AIMS as a whole and each of its domains as shown in Table 5.

Table 5

The sample' estimates on the AIMS as a whole, and each of its domains

Mean Std. deviation No.

4.19 0.74 Negative emotion

3.82 0.71 Exclusivity

3.95 0.67 Socialisation identity

3.97 0.62 Athletic identity as a whole

It can be seen from Table 5 that the level of athletic identity as a whole among the study sample members was high with a mean of 3.97 and with a standard deviation of 0.62. The third domain 'negative emotion' was ranked first with a mean of 4.19 at a high level, the first domain 'socialisation identity' came in second place with a mean of 3.95 at a high level whereas the second domain 'exclusivity' came in the last rank with a mean of 3.82 at a high level.

RQ2. Are there statistically significant differences at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the means of the estimates of the study sample members on the items of the AIMS as a whole and each of its domains attributed to the variables: gender, study level and the interaction between them?

To answer this question, the means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample members were calculated on the items of the AIMS as a whole according to the variables 'gender' and 'study level' as shown in Table 6.

Table 6

The sample's estimates on the AIMS as a whole according to the variables

'gender' and 'study level'

Gender

Female Male Total

Mean Std. deviation Mean Std. deviation Mean Std. deviation

Freshman 3.69 0.84 3.99 0.64 3.85 0.75

Sophomore 3.81 0.76 4.07 0.39 3.92 0.63

Junior 4.05 0.57 4.08 0.37 4.07 0.44

Senior 4.14 0.36 4.20 0.37 4.18 0.36

Total 3.85 0.74 4.06 0.49 3.97 0.62

It is noted from Table 6 that there are apparent differences between the means of the estimates of the study sample members on the items of the AIMS as a whole according to the variables gender and study level. To determine the statistical significance of these apparent differences, the two-way ANOVA was applied as demonstrated in Table 7.

Table 7

The sample's estimates of the AIMS as a whole according to the variables gender and study level and the interaction between them

Source Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig.

Gender 1.628 1 1.628 *4.428 0.036

Study level 3.974 3 1.325 *3.603 0.014

Gender * level 0.995 3 0.332 0.902 0.440

Error 99.984 272 0.368

Corrected total 107.595 279

It can be seen from Table 7 that the value of the statistical significance for the variable 'gender' amounted to 0.036 which was less than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated the existence of a statistically significant difference at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the two means of the study sample estimates on the items of the AIMS as a whole due to the variable 'gender' in favour of males. The value of the statistical significance of the variable 'study level' amounted to 0.014 which was less than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there were statistically significant differences at (a = 0.05) between the means for the estimates of the study sample members on the items of the AIMS as a whole due to the variable of the study level. In order to find out the validity of these statistically significant differences, Scheffe's Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons Tests were used as shown in Table 8.

Table 8

Scheffe's test of the sample's estimates of AIMS as a whole according to 'study level' variable

The difference between the two means Study level Mean Second Third Fourth

Freshman 3.69 -0.12 -0.36 -0.45

Sophomore 3.81 0.24 0.33*

Junior 4.05 0.09

Senior 4.14

It is noticed from Table 8 that there is a statistically significant difference between the estimates of students of the second year compared to the mean of the students of the fourth year in favour of fourth-year students. The value of the statistical significance of the interaction between the variables of gender and the study level amounted to 0.440 which is greater than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there were no statistically significant differences at the (a = 0.05) between the means for the estimates of individuals of the study sample on the items of the AIMS as a whole attributed to the interaction between the variables of gender and study level. The means and standard deviations of the study sample estimates on each domain of the AIMS were also calculated according to the variable (gender, study level), as shown in Table 9.

It is noticed from the Table 9 that there are apparent differences between the means for the estimates of the study sample members on each domain of the Athletic Identity Measuremtent Scale (AIMS) according to the variable 'gender' and 'study level'. To determine the statistical significance of these apparent differences, the Two way MANOVA was applied as shown in Table 7.

Table 9

The sample's estimates on each domain of the AIMS according to the variables

'gender' and 'study level'

Gender

Female

Male

Total

Study level Mean Std. deviation Mean Std. deviation Mean Std. deviation

Freshman 3.64 0.83 4.01 0.79 3.84 0.83

Socialisation Sophomore 3.81 0.73 3.97 0.48 3.88 0.63

identity Junior 3.89 0.49 4.11 0.48 4.04 0.49

Senior 4.10 0.36 4.22 0.51 4.16 0.45

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Total 3.80 0.71 4.06 0.62 3.95 0.67

Freshman 3.70 0.89 3.76 0.70 3.74 0.79

Exclusivity Sophomore 3.75 0.79 3.87 0.52 3.80 0.68

Junior 3.96 0.83 3.80 0.62 3.85 0.69

Senior 4.02 0.50 3.95 0.60 3.98 0.55

Total 3.81 0.80 3.82 0.63 3.82 0.71

Freshman 3.72 0.98 4.27 0.72 4.02 0.89

Negative Sophomore 3.88 0.86 4.44 0.44 4.13 0.75

emotion Junior 4.36 0.60 4.40 0.45 4.39 0.50

Senior 4.35 0.47 4.50 0.56 4.43 0.52

Total 3.97 0.86 4.37 0.58 4.19 0.74

Table 10

Analysis of binary variance multiple means for the estimates of the study sample on each domain of the AIMS according to the variable 'gender' and 'study level' and the interaction between them

Sum of Mean

Source squares df square F Sig.

Gender Socialisation identity 2.795 1 2.795 6.542 0.011

Hotelling's Trace = Exclusivity 0.009 1 0.009 0.018 0.893

0.112* Negative emotion 6.227 1 6.227 12.741 0.000

Level Socialisation identity 3.612 3 1.204 2.818 0.039

Wilks' Lambda = Exclusivity 2.086 3 0.695 1.366 0.253

0.929* Negative emotion 8.374 3 2.791 5.712 0.001

Gender * level Socialisation identity 0.652 3 0.217 0.509 0.677

Wilks' Lambda = Exclusivity 0.791 3 0.264 0.518 0.670

0.954 Negative emotion 3.602 3 1.201 2.457 0.063

Error Socialisation identity 116.191 272 0.427

Exclusivity 138.437 272 0.509

Negative emotion 132.933 272 0.489

Corrected total Socialisation identity 124.935 279 Exclusivity 141.097 279

Negative emotion 154.494 279

It can be seen from Table 10 that the value of the statistical significance of the variable 'gender' and the domains 'socialisation identity' and 'negative emotion' was less than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there was a statistically significant difference at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the two means for the estimates of the study sample on the two domains of athletic identity 'socialisation identity' and 'negative emotion' due to the gender variable in favour of males.

The value of the statistical significance of the variable of 'study level' and the domain 'socialisation identity' and 'negative emotion' was less than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there were statistically significant differences at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the means for the estimates of the study sample members at the domain 'socialisation identity' and 'negative emotion' due to the variable of the study level. To find out in favour of which statistically significant differences were, Scheffe's Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons Tests was used as shown in Table 11.

Table 11

The results of the Scheffe's test for comparison between means for the estimates of the study sample at the domain 'socialisation identity' and 'negative emotion' according to the variable 'study level'

The difference between the two means

Domain Study level Mean Second Third Fourth

Socialisation identity Freshman 3.84 -0.04 -0.20 -0.32*

Sophomore 3.88 0.16 0.18

Junior 4.04 0.12

Senior 4.16

Study level Mean Second Third Fourth

Negative emotion Freshman 4.02 -0.01 -0.37* -0.00

Sophomore 4.13 0.36 0.11

Junior 4.39 0.37*

Senior 4.02

It is noted from Table 11 that with regard to the domain 'socialisation identity', there was a statistically significant difference between the estimates of students of the first study level compared to the mean of the fourth-year

students in favour of the fourth-year students. With regard to the domain of 'negative emotion', there was a statistically significant difference between the estimates of students of the first and fourth study level compared to the mean of third-year students in favour of third-year students.

The value of the statistical significance of the interaction between the variables of sex and the study level was greater than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) which indicated that there were no statistically significant differences at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the means for the estimates of the study sample members on the domains of athletic identity as a whole, due to the interaction between the variables of gender and study level.

RQ3. What is the level of moral values among the students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University?

To answer this question, the means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample members were calculated on the items of the moral values scale as a whole and each of its domains as shown in Table 12.

Table 12

The moral values scale as a whole, and each of its domains arranged

in descending order

Mean Std. deviation No.

4.21 0.76 Competition

4.17 0.71 Beauty

4.09 0.76 Honesty

4.04 0.70 Responsibility

3.88 0.73 Social

4.07 0.65 Moral values

It is noticed from Table 12 that the level of moral values as a whole among the study sample members was high with a mean of 4.07 and a standard deviation of 0.65, where the fifth domain 'competition' came in the first place with a mean of 4.21 at a high level followed in the second place by the fourth domain 'beauty' with a mean of 4.17 at a high level, then the second domain 'honesty' with a mean of 4.09 at a high level, after that the first domain 'responsibility' with a mean of 4.04 at a high level, and the third domain 'social' came in the last rank with a mean of 3.88 at a high level.

RQ4. What is the level of moral values among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University?

To answer this question, the means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample members were calculated on the items of the moral values scale as a whole and each of its domains as shown in Table 13.

Table 13

The means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample on the items of the moral values scale as a whole, according to the variables

'gender' and 'study level'

Gender

Study level Female Male Total

Mean Std. deviation Mean Std. deviation Mean Std. deviation

Freshman 3.90 0.70 4.01 0.71 3.96 0.70

Sophomore 3.94 0.77 4.09 0.51 4.01 0.67

Junior 4.12 0.84 4.21 0.58 4.19 0.67

Senior 4.23 0.31 4.34 0.28 4.29 0.29

Total 4.00 0.71 4.14 0.60 4.07 0.65

It is noticed from Table 13 that there were apparent differences between the means of the estimates of the study sample members on the items of the Moral Values Scale (MVS) as a whole, according to the variable 'gender' and 'study level'. To determine the statistical significance of these apparent differences, the two-way ANOVA was applied as shown in Table 14.

Table 14

Binary variance analysis of the means for the estimates of the study sample on the items of the MVS as a whole, according to the variable 'gender' and 'study level' and the interaction between them

Source Sum of squares df Mean square F Sig.

Gender 0.840 1 0.840 2.008 0.158

Study level 3.906 3 1.302 3.112 *0.027

Gender * level 0.025 3 0.008 0.020 0.996

Error 113.798 272 0.418

Corrected total 119.089 279

It can be seen from Table 14 that the value of the statistical significance of the gender variable was 0.158, which was less than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there was no statistically significant difference at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the two means of the estimates of the study sample on the items of the moral values scale as a whole, due to the gender variable. The results revealed that the value of the statistical significance of the study level variable amounted to 0.027 which was less than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there were statistically significant differences at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the means for the estimates of the study sample members on the items of the moral values scale as a whole, due to the variable of 'study level'. To

find out in favour of which the statistically significant differences were, Scheffe's Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons Tests were used as shown in Table 15.

Table 15

The results of the Scheffe's test for comparison between means of the estimates of the study sample members on the items of the moral values scale as a whole, according to the variable 'study level'

The difference between the two means Study level Mean Second Third Fourth

Freshman 3.96 -0.05 -0.23 -0.33*

Sophomore 4.01 0.18 0.28

Junior 4.19 0.10

Senior 4.29

It is noticed from Table 15 that there was a statistically significant difference between the estimates of the freshman students compared to the mean of the senior students which was in favour of the senior students. The value of the statistical significance of the interaction between the variables 'gender' and 'study level' amounted to 0.996, which was greater than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there were no statistically significant differences at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the means for the estimates of the study sample members on the items of the moral values scale as a whole, due to the interaction between the variables of gender and study level. The means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample members on each domain of the moral values scale were calculated according to the variable 'gender' and 'study level' as shown in Table 16.

Table 16

The means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample on each domain of the moral values scale, according to the variable 'gender'

and 'study level'

Gender

Study level Female_Male_Total

Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD

Responsibility Freshman 3.88 0.82 4.02 0.75 3.96 0.78

Sophomore 3.96 0.78 4.18 0.56 4.05 0.69

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Junior 4.07 0.94 4.04 0.61 4.05 0.72

Senior 4.16 0.39 4.29 0.27 4.23 0.34

Total 3.98 0.78 4.09 0.63 4.04 0.70

Honesty Freshman 3.93 0.88 4.06 0.76 4.00 0.82

Sophomore 3.98 0.87 4.07 0.57 4.02 0.75

Junior 4.10 0.89 4.15 0.75 4.13 0.79

Senior 4.33 0.48 4.38 0.44 4.36 0.45

Total 4.03 0.84 4.13 0.69 4.09 0.76

Social Freshman 3.86 0.65 3.75 0.84 3.80 0.76

Sophomore 3.69 0.84 3.79 0.66 3.74 0.76

Junior 3.97 0.89 4.00 0.67 3.99 0.74

Senior 3.93 0.42 4.24 0.39 4.10 0.43

Total 3.84 0.73 3.90 0.72 3.88 0.73

Beauty Freshman 3.79 0.66 4.09 0.74 3.95 0.72

Sophomore 3.99 0.80 4.31 0.72 4.13 0.78

Junior 4.29 0.76 4.43 0.66 4.38 0.69

Senior 4.23 0.33 4.55 0.27 4.41 0.34

Total 4.00 0.71 4.30 0.68 4.17 0.71

Competition Freshman 4.05 0.82 4.15 0.85 4.10 0.84

Sophomore 4.08 0.86 4.06 0.55 4.07 0.74

Junior 4.19 0.93 4.53 0.65 4.42 0.76

Senior 4.50 0.39 4.28 0.50 4.38 0.46

Total 4.15 0.81 4.27 0.72 4.21 0.76

It is noticed from Table 16 that there were apparent differences between the means for the estimates of the study sample members on each domain of the Moral Values Scale (MVS), according to the variable 'gender' and 'study level'. To determine the statistical significance of these apparent differences, the two-way MANOVA was applied as shown in Table 17.

Table 17

Analysis of the multiple variance of the means for the estimates of the study sample on each domain of the MVS, according to the variable 'gender' and 'study level' and the interaction between them

Sum of df Sig.

Source Mean square F

squares

Gender Responsibility 0.787 1 0.787 1.603 0.206

Hotelling's Honesty 0.377 1 0.377 0.655 0.419

trace = 0.098* Social 0.394 1 0.394 0.763 0.383

Beauty 4.315 1 4.315 9.431 0.002*

Competition 0.151 1 0.151 0.268 0.605

Level Responsibility 2.259 3 0.753 1.534 0.206

Wilks' Lambda Honesty 4.095 3 1.365 2.370 0.071

= 0.213* Social 4.124 3 1.375 2.660 0.049*

Beauty 9.520 3 3.173 6.937 0.000*

Competition 5.053 3 1.684 2.983 0.032*

Gender * level Responsibility 0.509 3 0.170 0.346 0.792

Wilks' Lambda Honesty 0.099 3 0.033 0.057 0.982

= 0.876 Social 1.336 3 0.445 0.862 0.461

Beauty 0.374 3 0.125 0.272 0.845

Competition 2.027 3 0.676 1.197 0.311

Error Responsibility 133.510 272 0.491

Honesty 156.644 272 0.576

Social 140.553 272 0.517

Beauty 124.441 272 0.458

Competition 153.584 272 0.565

Corrected Responsibility 137.166 279

total Honesty Social Beauty Competition 161.468 146.715 140.177 162.754 279 279 279 279

It can be seen from Table 17 that the value of the statistical significance of the gender variable and the 'social' domain was less than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there was a statistically significant difference at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the two means for the estimates of the study sample members on the domain of moral 'social' values due to the variable 'gender' and in favour of males. The value of the statistical significance of the 'study level' variable and the domain 'social, beauty, competition' was less than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there were statistically significant differences at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the means for the estimates of the study sample members on the domain 'social, beauty, competition' due to the variable of the 'study level'. To find out in favour of which statistically significant differences were, the Scheffe's Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons Tests were used as shown in Table 18.

Table 18

The results of the Scheffe's test for comparison between the means of the estimates of the study sample members on the domains 'social, beauty, competition' according to the variable 'study level'

The difference between the two means

Domain Study level Mean Second Third Fourth

Social Freshman 3.86 0.17 -0.11 -0.07

Sophomore 3.69 -0.28* -0.24

Junior 3.97 0.04

Senior 3.93

Study level Mean Second

Third

Fourth

Beauty Freshman 3.79 -0.20

-0.50* 0.30

-0.44* 0.24 0.06

Sophomore 3.99 Junior 4.29

Senior 4.23

Competition Freshman 4.05 -0.03

-0.14 0.11

-0.45* 0.42* 0.31

Sophomore 4.08 Junior 4.19

Senior 4.50

*significant at (a = 0.05)

It is noticed from Table 18 that with regard to the 'social' domain, there was a statistically significant difference between the estimates of the students of the junior compared to the mean of the sophomore students in favour of the junior students. With regard to the 'beauty' domain, there was a statistically significant difference between the estimates of freshman and senior students compared to the mean of the junior and senior students in favour of the junior and senior students. With regard to the 'competition' domain, there was a statistically significant difference between the estimates of freshman and sophomore students compared to the mean of the senior students in favour of the senior students.

The value of the statistical significance of the interaction between the variables 'gender' and the 'study level' was greater than the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05). This indicated that there were no statistically significant differences at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.05) between the means for the estimates of the study sample members on the domains of moral values as a whole, due to the interaction between the variables of 'gender' and 'study level'.

RQ5. What is the relationship between athletic identity and moral values among students of the faculty of physical education at Yarmouk University?

To answer this question, Pearson correlation coefficients matrix was calculated between the estimates of the study sample on the domains of the AIMS, their estimates on the domains of the MVS as shown in Table 19.

It is noticed from Table 19 that there was a positive statistically significant relationship at the level of statistical significance (a = 0.01) between the estimates of the study sample on the scale of athletic identity as a whole and their estimates on the scale of moral values as a whole, where the correlation coefficient between them reaches 0.503.

Table 19

Pearson's correlation coefficients between the estimates of the sample on the

domains of AIMS and MVS

Matrix of Pearson Correlation Coefficients between the estimates of the study sample members on the domains of the AIMS and their estimates on the domains of the MVS

Responsibility Pearson Correlation .457** .431** .416** .495**