Issn 1983-8034 Ethics, bioethics and physical education

Level of knowledge of Physical Education professionals

This category discusses the level of knowledge of PE professionals concerning ethics, based on the following studies: Wrench and Garrett ⁴, Loland ⁵,

Research
Görgüt and Tutkun ⁶, Jung ⁸, Costa, McNamee and Lacerda ¹⁰, Goodwin and Howe ¹¹, and Goodwin and Rossow-Kimball ¹⁷. The findings refer to the issues of professionals’ training in universities, level of information on ethical education, and the implications of a low level of knowledge of ethics in everyday practice, in decision-making, and in the confrontation of moral dilemmas in varied contexts. Among the problems related to the skills and abilities of PE professionals in dealing with complex situations in the workplace, the training process in universities is identified. The criticism towards universities is based on the need to promote ethical education in a contextualized manner in the experienced reality ^5,8,10,15. It is understood that, to develop ethical sensitivity, it is necessary to mature through experiences and
coping situations during training.
Therefore, for a better engagement in ethical education, there must be the involvement with socially critical discourses in the training of PE professionals, seeking to make ethical education a place of inclusion, and not of marginalization and exclusion, in their various fields of activity ⁴. The study by Görgüt and Tutkun ⁶, whose objective was to assess the opinion of PE teachers on the concept of values education, corroborates the findings. The authors observed that the level of information of PE professionals on values education is insufficient. Despite this constitution of the potential of PE, whether by sports or other practices in the area for an ethical education, it is still observed that PE professionals report having a low level of knowledge of ethics and its implications for everyday practice ⁶. It is possible to infer that the exchange of information based on debates, courses, and disciplines in universities on the
subject of ethics and bioethics is still incipient.
The need for problematizing issues related to ethics and bioethics in the context of PE can be observed by the reporting of barriers to coping with situations of ethical conflicts ⁶. In this sense, Goodwin and Howe ¹¹ point out that ethical judgments are part of professional life, thus stressing the importance of a change in the training of PE professionals, and this will be possible if universities promote critical reflection to contribute to the understanding of ethical problems in complex contexts ^11,17.
Complexity in terms of ethics in PE was addressed by Goodwin and Rossow-Kimball ¹⁷,
who describe four ethical approaches (Principlism, Virtue Ethics, Ethics of care, and Relational ethics) in the context of adapted physical activity (APA). The authors discuss the use of the approaches alone and their implications and, later, present a better way of ethically thinking about professional practice in the APA ¹⁷. According to them, when using each approach alone, complex situations can occur in the context of adapted physical activity.
The level of knowledge of the plurality of ethical approaches can broaden the understanding and minimize ethical problems in professional practice in PE. Goodwin and Rossow-Kimball ¹⁷ report that ethical theory provides the conceptual space to seek plurality and diversity from different theoretical perspectives. By considering multiple perspectives for various situations, one can deepen enriching interpretative possibilities.
Each of the ethical approaches presented, for example, could be debated to the extent that they reflect autonomy and interdependence, universality, and particularistic context, reason and emotion. It should be noted that not all approaches are equally useful in all the presented circumstances, and that one approach is not necessarily more appropriate than another. Instead, ethical approaches can be seen as complementary to each other, and not as contradictory ¹⁷. Goodwin and Howe ¹¹ emphasize the importance of increasing the level of knowledge concerning ethical theories, in such a way that reflection on ethical practice is fair and adequate.
There are challenges to overcome in the training of PE professionals. From the university, it is expected the commitment to reflective-critical education, ethical debate and encouragement to the engagement of professors and students in the search for excellence, in addition to the possibility of discussing various topics relevant to the field of PE in formal education and continuing education environments and of which PE professionals can understand the ethical approaches to avoid misunderstandings in everyday practice.