Personality differences between academic team sport players and physical education undergraduate students

Abstract

Background and Study Aim: Although personality research in psychology of sport has a long history, a little is known about the personality of the team sport players among university students. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in personality traits between Team Sport Players (TSP), Physical Education Students (PES) and Other Faculties Students (OFS). Material and Methods: Participants in the cross-sectional study were 441 university students aged between 18 and 34 years old (M = 22.09, SD = 2.19), including 60.09% of men, at a large university in the south of Poland. The NEO-FFI questionnaire was used to assess Big-Five personality traits. Results: One-way ANOVA revealed that TSP sample scored significantly lower in neuroticism, openness and agreeableness than both PES and OFS groups. TSP also demonstrated higher scores in extraversion, in comparison to PES. The PES and OFS did not differ one another in personality traits. Conscientiousness was at the same level in all three groups. Conclusions: Increasing achievement motivation and compliance with norms may heighten conscientiousness among undergraduates. The information about personality should be used by the coach to team conflict reduction, to make an appropriate selection decision and to develop individual development plans for particular team members.