A Comparative Analysis of Education Programs and Contents of Human Rights in Sport

초록

PURPOSE This study aims to systematically analyze and comparatively examine the curriculum structures and instructional content of human rights education within sport. METHODS Using a purposive sampling strategy, three institutional cases were selected for analysis: the Sport Ethics Center, the Level-2 Sport Instructor Training Institute, and the School Sports Promotion Association. The curricula were analyzed based on three analytical dimensions: (a) curriculum structure, (b) educational content, and (c) instructional methods. RESULTS The findings revealed three key patterns. First, the target groups of human rights education were limited to athletes, coaches, and referees, with instructional efforts predominantly oriented toward the elite sport context. Second, the educational content was largely concentrated on issues of sexual violence, physical violence, and learning rights, with frequent reliance on elite sport–related cases (e.g., athlete misconduct, admission controversies, and performance-based pressures). This athlete concentration substantially narrowed the conceptual and practical scope of human rights education in sport. Third, instructional delivery methods relied primarily on online video-based lectures and large-scale group training formats, reflecting an emphasis on administrative efficiency and ease of dissemination rather than pedagogical depth and interaction. CONCLUSIONS Based on these findings, three recommendations are proposed. First, the scope of educational content should be broadened to encompass a wider spectrum of human rights issues in sport, extending beyond a narrow focus on (sexual) violence and learning rights. Second, there is a clear need to develop context-specific and customized human rights education programs tailored to the Sport for All sector, which remain underrepresented in current curricula. Third, instructional approaches should progressively shift from predominantly online, large-scale formats toward offline, small-scale, and participatory learning environments to enhance learner engagement and overall effectiveness.