Nr. 3 - Lietuvos sporto informacijos centras

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SPORTO MOKSLAS
self-confidence of badminton players: results of empirical study
Summary
Prof. Dr. Romualdas Malinauskas, Dalius Juodsnukis
Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education
This study is focused on peculiarities of selfconfidence
among badminton players. Self-confidence
researches in sports have been topical and important
for researchers for years because self-confidence has
been found to be related to excellence in sports and
better performance. In this study we have used Vealey
theoretical conceptual approach of athletes’ selfconfidence
– sport-confidence model. The benefit of
this model is twofold. First, this model is a system that
helps to define sources of athletes’ sport-confidence,
and, secondly, the model can be invoked as a basis
for designing of educational programs which promote
athletes’ self-confidence. Vealey sport-confidence
model assumes that the organizational culture
(competition standards, motivational climate, goals of
sports programs, and structural expectations) and the
athletes’ personal characteristics, attitudes, and values
affect the athletes’ self-confidence and expression of
the three sources of sport confidence (achievement,
self-regulation and social climate). Therefore Vealey
sport-confidence model has been chosen as the
theoretical basis of this study.
The investigation of self-confidence among
badminton players of different sports performance
level and different gender is an important scientific
problem. That is why it is essential to get deeper
insights into the following research questions: Is there
a difference in self-confidence between badminton
players of higher sports performance level and
badminton players of lower sports performance level?
Is there a difference in self-confidence between male
and female badminton players?
The purpose of the present study was to examine
peculiarities of self-confidence in badminton players.
Tasks of the research: 1) to identify peculiarities
of badminton players’ self-confidence according to
sports performance level; 2) to identify peculiarities
of badminton players’ self-confidence according to the
gender. It was hypothesized that: 1) badminton players
of higher sports performance level have higher selfconfidence;
2) male badminton players have higher
self-confidence.
The sample consisted of 94 badminton players.
The sample included 68 male and 26 female athletes.
All participants were divided into groups according
to sports performance level: players of higher sports
performance level (players of A and B groups) and
players of lower sports performance level (players of
C and D groups), based on LBF ranking. A Source of
Sport Confidence Questionnaire measures developed
by Vealey was used in this study. It is a 7 point Likert
scale ranging from 1 (not at all important) to 7 (of
highest importance). The nonparametric chi-square
test was used for the statistical analysis of the data.
The analysis of peculiarities of self-confidence in
badminton players according to sports performance
level revealed that for badminton players of lower sports
performance level the medium level of self-confidence
(characterized by 67 percent respondents) was most
characteristic, while the badminton players of higher
sports performance level were characterized by a high
self-confidence level, which was characterized by 55
percent respondents. It was found that self-confidence
scores in badminton players of higher performance level
was higher (χ 2 (1)=4.63, p