Title

The role of human rights in sport education: a call towards a new curriculum

Authors

Gerard Masdeu Yélamos, UNESCO Chair, Munster Technological University, Kerry, Ireland; Department of Psychology, Assisting Living & Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University, Maynooth, IrelandFollow
Malcolm MacLachlan, Department of Psychology, Assisting Living & Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
Catherine Carty, UNESCO Chair, Munster Technological University, Kerry, IrelandFollow
Sarah Carney, UNESCO Chair, Munster Technological University, Kerry, IrelandFollow

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4549-6631

Document Type

Article

Disciplines

Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Policy | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Policy | Sports Studies

Publication Details

Published in Sports, Education and Society, 13 November 2023.

Abstract

The role of sport as a contributor to sustainable development and human rights is well established. However, evidence on sports professionals’ understanding of its contribution and their readiness to maximize its impact in this field is insufficient. This study aimed to ascertain sports practitioners’ understanding and application of human rights principles in and through sport and to explore the extent to which individual and contextual factors can influence the inclination to adopt a human rights based approach. An international sample of 151 sport-related practitioners (56% male, 43% female, and 1% preferred not to say), ranging from age 18 to over 65, including teachers, coaches, and academics, completed three validated questionnaires on sport and human rights designed for the study (RITES-Q, RITES-SE, and RITES challenges). The questionnaires included standardized measures of social dominance and personality (the SDO-7 scale and the 10-item personality inventory) and some open-response questions exploring instances of sports’ association with human rights. Results show that while sports practitioners acknowledge sport’s impact on promoting human rights, there were significant differences based on age, gender, educational level, personality traits, and social dominance orientation. Given the situational and dispositional variation in responses, we argue that it is important to establish a systematic approach to include human rights principles in the education curricula of sports-related professionals. To conclude, we call for the inclusion of three key elements of human rights education in sport curriculums: (a) knowledge about fundamental human rights; (b) learning through human rights in sports-based interventions; and (c) empowering for human rights in the sport sector.

Recommended Citation

Gerard Masdeu Yélamos, Malcom MacLachlan, Catherine Carty & Sarah Carney (13 Nov 2023): The role of human rights in sport education: a call towards a new curriculum, Sport, Education and Society, DOI: 10.1080/13573322.2023.2277764