sustainability Article Fair Play in Physical Education and Beyond Malgorzata Bronikowska 1, * , Agata Korcz 2 , Beata Pluta 1 , Jana Krzysztoszek 2 , Mateusz Ludwiczak 2 , Marlena Lopatka 2 , Sara Wawrzyniak 3 , Jolanta E. Kowalska 4 and Michal Bronikowski 2 1 Department of Recreation, Poznan University of Physical Education, 61-871 Pozna ´ n, Poland; bpluta@awf.poznan.pl 2 Department of Didactics of Physical Activity, Poznan University of Physical Education, 61-871 Pozna ´ n, Poland; korcz@awf.poznan.pl (A.K.); krzysztoszek@awf.poznan.pl (J.K.); mateuszl92@o2.pl (M.L.); wyskok@awf.poznan.pl (M.L.); bronikowski@awf.poznan.pl (M.B.) 3 Department of Team Sports Games, University School of Physical Education in Wroclaw, 51-612 Wroclaw, Poland; sara.wawrzyniak@awf.wroc.pl 4 Faculty of Educational Sciences, The Department of Physical and Health Education, University of Lodz, 90-137 Lód´ z, Poland; jolanta.kowalska@uni.lodz.pl * Correspondence: bronikowska@awf.poznan.pl or wadera43@gmail.com; Tel.: +48-835-5422 Received: 12 November 2019; Accepted: 6 December 2019; Published: 10 December 2019   Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine the level of understanding of the principle of fair play by secondary school pupils (n = 827) from the Polish province of Wielkopolska, physical education (PE) students from Poznan University of Physical Education (n = 437), and PE teachers (n = 130). Two structured survey questionnaires were used, namely: The three-level scale known as the Fair Play Moral Dimensions Concept Scale and a Factors of Moral Inﬂuence Scale. There were observed diﬀerences between male and female students in their comprehension of the principle of fair play regarding the category of sporting activity practiced. The female teachers’ amateur training group more frequently identiﬁed the highest level of fair play (32.1% of the examined female teachers) in comparison with their male colleagues. Moreover, diﬀerences were noted between boys and girls at the secondary school level. Boys rated the inﬂuence of PE teachers and coaches higher, while girls declared that they were more inﬂuenced by media and education. For both boys and girls, parents constituted the highest-rated factor of the inﬂuence on their moral development. Students also indicated the inﬂuence of parents as the highest-rated factor. Among PE teachers, school, as a source of inﬂuence on one’s moral development, was awarded higher rates by female than by male teachers. It was observed that parents constituted the highest-rated factor of inﬂuence for PE teachers. Keywords: fair play; physical education; moral development; sporting ethics 1. Introduction Since ancient times and through the ages, a crucial part of all attempts to organize sporting life along the concept of the ancient Olympic Games has been focusing attention on competitive ethics (from the Greek ‘ethikos’), which today has come to be identiﬁed with the British concept of fair play [1]. Although the founders of the ancient games then were not familiar with the concept of fair play, they required athletes taking part in the Greek games to follow generally accepted ethical norms (in Greek, ‘kalos kagathos’ and ‘arete’). Among various historical sources and in information concerning the concept which today we deﬁne by the term ‘fair play’, we may ﬁnd certain common elements characteristic of the ancient Greek term ‘arete’, symbolizing a quest for clarity and honesty which simultaneously signiﬁed a person’s perfection and good character [2–4]. An important factor inﬂuencing the later concept of fair play in the British Isles was the earlier Celtic culture, in which the Sustainability 2019, 11, 7064; doi:10.3390/su11247064 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability