Determining the Empathy Level of Coaching Education Students in the Sports Environment

Abstract

The high level of empathy in the sports environment makes it clear that each individual in the sports factor displays a positive attitude in society and is positively influenced in terms of sporting success. This research was conducted to determine the level of empathic tendency of students in the Department of Coaching Education and to examine the effects of demographic differences on empathic tendency scores. The research group consisted of a total of 226 volunteers, 98 females and 128 males, studying in the Department of Coach Education, with a mean age of 21.66±2.26 years. The Empathy Scale in the Sports Environment was used in the study. Independent T-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation test were used for the data collected in the study. According to the results of the study, there was a significant difference in the sub-dimension of emotional empathy in sports in relation to gender (p<0.05). The significant difference was in favor of men. Although there was a significant difference between the groups when the total score of the scale was compared in the students' grade levels, no significant difference was found in multiple comparisons. A positive and significant relationship was found between sports age and emotional empathy in sports. These values show that emotional empathy in sport tends to increase with increasing sporting age. The findings demonstrate that the empathic tendencies of people who participate in sports are at a similar level regardless of gender, age and class variables, but as sports experience increases, so does the emotional empathy level. Applied training programs should be developed to improve empathy skills in sport science faculty and studies should be conducted to strengthen students' emotional and social skills in the sport environment.