Impact of moral education on anomie behaviors in university students’ physical education classes: serial mediation of attitudes toward sports norms and self-efficacy

Abstract Background Against the backdrop of building an education powerhouse, this study aims to explore the relationship between moral education and anomie behaviors in university physical education classes, and to examine the serial mediating role of attitudes toward sports norms and self-efficacy in this relationship. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 2,340 undergraduate students from 20 universities across the country. The collected data were organized and analyzed using SPSS Statistics 27.0. Results Moral education exerted a significant negative predictive effect on anomie behaviors in physical education classes. This influence was primarily mediated through the serial mediation pathway of attitudes toward sports norms and self-efficacy. The effect sizes for these three pathways were -0.051, -0.018, and -0.013, accounting for 45.54%, 16.07%, and 11.61% of the total effect, respectively. Conclusion Moral education directly influences anomie behaviors in university physical education classes. Attitudes toward sports norms and self-efficacy for sports-related norms play a serial mediating role in the relationship between moral education and anomie behaviors in physical education classes.