Emotional intelligence and motor competence in children, adolescents, and young adults

Intrinsic Motivation: Knowledge, Achievement, and Experimentation in Sports Science Students-Relations with Emotional Intelligence

In this paper, we have focused on the Self-Determination Theory, paying special attention to intrinsic motivation, which is understood as the motivation that leads the subject to perform a task without the expectation of obtaining an external reward. In the field of sport, motivation is one of the most studied variables and one of the most researched, since it is closely related to the reasons that lead the athletes to start, maintain, and abandon sports practice. The main objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between intrinsic motivation (IM) and emotional intelligence from the theoretical contributions of the Self-Determination Theory. The specific objectives are to analyze attention, clarity, and emotional regulation, as well as intrinsic motivation to acquire knowledge. Additionally, we aim to explore the relationship between attention, clarity, and emotional regulation and the intrinsic motivation to achieve something. Lastly, we investigate the correspondence between attention, clarity, and emotional regulation and the intrinsic motivation to experience stimuli. The sample consists of 163 undergraduate and master's students related to Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, studying at a Spanish public university, located in the southeast region of Andalusia-specifically, in the city of Almería. The participants had a mean age of 20.33 years. In terms of gender, 70.9% (n = 117) were men and 27.9% (n = 46) women. In terms of degree, 76.7% (n = 147) were undergraduate students and 23.3% (n = 18) were postgraduate students. The Sports Motivation Scale (SMS/EMD) was used to assess intrinsic motivation, and the TMMS-24 was used to assess emotional intelligence. The main findings of this research demonstrate the existence of a relationship between the three dimensions of emotional intelligence (emotional attention, emotional clarity, and emotional regulation) and intrinsic motivation (intrinsic motivation to know something, intrinsic motivation to achieve something, and intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation). These findings emphasize the importance of emotional intelligence for intrinsic motivation.

Emotional Intelligence and Its Relationship to Basic Psychological Needs: A Structural Equation Model for Student Athletes

This paper analyses the relationship between emotional intelligence (attention, clarity and repair) and motivational mediators (relationships, autonomy and perceived competence) of students of different degrees related to physical activity and sports science. A structural equation model was estimated with a sample of university students. The results of the model are representative of this case study only and are not very generalizable due to the sample size. In any case, the results obtained show that emotional intelligence predicts the satisfaction of psychological needs for autonomy and competence in student athletes. Therefore, these demonstrations point to a relationship between both variables and highlight the importance of addressing this type of content in university classrooms in order to increase the positive effects on the psychosocial development and personal well-being of students.

Emotional Intelligence, Interpersonal Relationships and the Role of Gender in Student Athletes

The concept of emotional intelligence is related to the recognition of our own emotions, their regulation and our state of mind. Additionally, it is increasingly relevant in society in general, and in the field of sport in particular. The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between emotional intelligence and the theory of self-determination, specifically interpersonal relationships. For this purpose, sex was taken as a mediating variable, and a structural equation model was estimated through mediation. The sample was made up of a total of 165 active sportsmen and sportswomen who are studying undergraduate and master’s degree courses related to physical activity and sport sciences. The results show that gender acts as a mediating variable between emotional intelligence and relationships with others, becoming a mediating variable of two previously unrelated variables. The implications of these results lead us to study both emotional intelligence and its importance in the field of sport, as well as the fact of paying attention to the differences that may exist in this case depending on gender.

Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Motivation, Anxiety and Leadership in Athletes

Nowadays, emotional intelligence is not only understood as the recognition of our own emotions but also the regulation of these emotions. In the field of sports, the concept of sports leadership is increasingly relevant, understood as a behavioral and cognitive process closely related to sports success, based on interpersonal relationships, trust, respect and the feeling of coherence. In this study, we intend to analyze the relationship between sports success and emotional intelligence to verify their relationship and the influence of other variables such as sports anxiety. As a sample, we took a total of 165 active sportsmen and women studying for both undergraduate and master’s degrees related to the sciences of physical activity and sport. The expected results aim to demonstrate the relationship between emotional intelligence, sports leadership and sports anxiety.