Investigating The Emotional Expression and Communication Skills of Student Athletes in University Sport
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19249265Abstract
This study aimed to examine the relationship between communication skills and emotional expressiveness among university student-athletes and to determine whether communication skills significantly predict emotional expressiveness. A quantitative research design employing a correlational survey model was adopted. The sample consisted of 241 student-athletes (126 females, 115 males) competing in inter-university handball tournaments during the 2023–2024 academic year. Data were collected using the Communication Skills Scale (CSS) and the Emotional Expressiveness Scale (EES). Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression analyses were conducted using SPSS. Results indicated that participants demonstrated relatively high levels of both communication skills and emotional expressiveness. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive and moderate association between overall communication skills and emotional expressiveness (r = .431, p < .01). Regression analysis further showed that communication skills significantly predicted emotional expressiveness (β = .431, p < .01), explaining 18.6% of the variance (R² = .186). Additionally, age and years of sports participation were associated with higher communication and emotional expression levels, whereas academic major did not yield significant differences. These findings suggest that sustained engagement in sports may contribute to the development of interpersonal communication competence and emotional expressiveness. The study highlights the role of sports participation as a psychosocial context that fosters both social and emotional development in university populations.
Keywords: Communication Skills, Emotional Expressiveness, Student-Athletes, University Sports.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mustafa Barış SOMOĞLU, Ahmet Yılmaz ALBAYRAK , Tonguç Osman MUTLU, Muhammed Uhud TÜRKMEN, Ömer ZAMBAK
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