Sport as a Bridge for Values Education in Primary School: An Applied and Transferable Pedagogical Approach

Abstract Book of the 8th International Conference on Applied Research in Education

Year: 2026

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Sport as a Bridge for Values Education in Primary School: An Applied and Transferable Pedagogical Approach

Mojmir Kovac

ABSTRACT:

Contemporary education increasingly emphasizes the importance of values education, social responsibility, and personal development; however, educators often lack structured and applicable methodologies for teaching values in an experiential and systematic way. Although public and professional discourse frequently stresses the importance of values and highlights their perceived absence among modern children, clear and practical approaches to teaching them remain limited. This paper presents an applied pedagogical model for values education through sport, using judo as an educational framework grounded in the principle of Jita Kyoei (mutual welfare and benefit). The methodology was developed through long-term educational practice and two consecutive Erasmus+ projects lasting five years, subsequently formalized in a teaching manual and disseminated through educational seminars conducted in eleven countries for coaches and educators. To further contextualize the need for such an approach, an ongoing email-based survey involving several hundred European judo coaches examines their awareness and understanding of values-based education through sport. In addition, the model was implemented in a five-week pilot project in a primary school with Italian as the language of instruction in Piran, involving two separate student groups aged 6–8 and 13 years. Within this model, sport is used as an educational environment rather than a competitive activity, integrating physical engagement with structured learning objectives, guided reflection, and the conscious transfer of values such as respect, responsibility, cooperation, self-realization, and proactivity into everyday life. The paper outlines the theoretical foundations, methodological structure, and educational implications of the model, highlighting its adaptability across age groups and cultural contexts and its potential as a transferable framework for values education within primary schooling.

Keywords: Applied Pedagogy; Primary Education; Sport-Based Education; Values Education; Values-Based Learning