Self-esteem of physical education students: sex differences and relationships with intelligence

Background

The aim of the study was to determine the level of self-esteem of physical education and sport students, its diversification according to sex, as well as relationships between self-esteem and the following variables: fluid intelligence, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and academic performance.



Participants and procedure

A total of 385 first-year undergraduates aged 18-26 years studying physical education and sport at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw participated in the study. The following research tools were used: the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory, Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices Plus, the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, and the Social Competence Questionnaire. The average of marks obtained for all courses taken during the first year was adopted as an indicator of academic performance.



Results

The obtained results attest to the high self-esteem of the first-year students. Male students gave higher ratings for their body appearance and body functioning, personal power and likeability, self-control, and competence. They also indicated a higher level of global self-esteem and identity integration. The highest number of significant positive correlations connected self-esteem and emotional intelligence; slightly fewer correlations existed between self-esteem and social competence. The lowest number of significant relationships was established for fluid intelligence. Only one positive predictor of average evaluations was established in male students (self-control) and female students (competence).



Conclusions

The profile of self-esteem of physical education students demonstrates their high self-esteem, especially in areas related to their field of study. Some variations in the components of self-esteem of male and female students reflect the differences between sexes typical for the Polish adult population.