How sport and its values are perceived by adults in the USA and Ukraine: a cross-cultural comparison

Abstract

Abstract There are practically no cross-cultural studies in the field of physical education and sport with Ukrainian society as the object of research. However, there is a particular and obvious interest to research not only young people as a major strategic resource for any state, but also adults, including parents. The main purpose of the study is to identify common and different features of the attitude toward sport and its axiological component in the Ukrainian and American societies. A total of 500 adults aged 18-64 (196 men and 304 women) participated in the national survey, with the majority being Ukrainian school teachers. The results obtained from the study were compared with the results of a study conducted in the United States. It should be noted that in our study, we only selected questions from the American questionnaire that solely addressed adults’ perceptions of sport and its values. We did not choose other questions. Mathematical processing of the survey indicators was carried out using the computer program SPSS. The result of the research is a comparison of statements from adults of both countries regarding the actual and potential impact of social institutions on the youth; their statements about sport; values or principles that may or may not be important in sport; the extent of sport’s actual influence on the formation of values; the values adults hope their children will learn from participating in sport; and statements about the importance of values from adults who are actively involved in sport. The results of the cross-cultural study among adults in the USA and Ukraine indicate that there is both an identical idea of certain values in sport and a different vision due to, in our opinion, the divergence of cultural traditions and the status of sport in the countries.