Investigation of Decision Making Styles and Problem Solving Skill Levels of School Administrators Doing Sports and Non-Sports

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the decision-making styles and levels of problem-solving skills among school administrators who do and do not do sports. For this purpose, the study was conducted using the quantitative research method, specifically the descriptive survey model. The research was conducted with a sample group of 358 among 2334 school administrators working in Bursa in the 2021-2022 academic year. Personal Information Form, Problem Solving Scale (PSS) and Melbourne Decision Making Scale (MDMS) were used to collect study data. In the analysis of the data, SPSS 21.0 package program was used, and the significance level was taken as α = 0.05. Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test was used to distribute the total and subscale scores obtained from PSS and MDMS. In conclusion, it was determined that there were no significant differences between the groups of administrators who engage in sports and those who do not, based on variables such as the duration of their leadership, whether they received administrative training, and the type of school where they work. Administrators with a history of licensed sports participation had a higher rate of engagement in sports. In the sports group, administrators exhibited a preference for a cautious decision-making style and had higher levels of self-esteem. They also demonstrated lower levels of avoidant, procrastinative, and panicked decision-making styles. Furthermore, it was concluded that the impact of engaging in sports on the perception of problem-solving skills was not significant between administrators who engage in sports and those who do not.