United States Sports Academy
America's Sports University^®

Introduction

What type of leadership behaviors do student-athletes prefer from university coaches? Do characteristics like gender, competition levels, or types of sport influence tae-kwon-do student-athlete behavior preferences? The lack of answers to these questions is due to the complexity inherent in the questions themselves. Past attempts to answer these questions have been sporadic and often peripheral (Chelladurai, 1984; Beam, Serwatka, & Wilson, 2004).

A code of ethics is a tool that provides minimum standards of conduct expected of coaches as they mature into professionals. It is a tool to encourage coaches to provide common values and do their best in their jobs (Ring, 1992). In many studies related to the relationship between the moral education and competition concepts, it has been stated that there is a sensitive relationship between physical education and moral education in that physical education and athletic programs can be harmonious in the promotion and development of sportsmanlike behaviors, ethical decion-making skills, honesty and a total curriculum for moral character development (Bergman, 2000; Carry, 1998; Sabock,1985; Singleton, 2003; Stoll, 1995).