Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine whether college student players’ experiences with corporal punishment and their perceptions of it have changed over time. The analysis included 1,077 university players (472 in 2013 and 605 in 2022). These subjects were asked about their experiences with corporal punishment, their permissive attitudes toward corporal punishment, their inclination toward using corporal punishment, and their perceptions of their own experiences with it. The results of the chi-square test of independence revealed a significant decrease in the proportion of athletes who had experienced corporal punishment from 2013 to 2022 (χ2(2) = 44.085, p < .001, V = .202). Additionally, there was a marked reduction in athletes’ permissive attitudes toward corporal punishment (χ2 (1) = 290.905, p < .001, Φ =.520) and their inclination to use corporal punishment (χ2 (1) = 234.020, p < .001, Φ =.466). Furthermore, a significant increase was observed in the number of athletes who viewed their experience of corporal punishment negatively (χ2 (2) = 40.209, p < .001, V =.400). These findings indicate an improvement in university players’ perceptions of corporal punishment and suggest growing momentum toward eradicating corporal punishment within the Japanese sports community.
