A Study Into the Levels of Decision Making and Coping Wıth Stress of the Students of Physıcal Education and Sports College
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African Journal of Business Management Vol.5 (9), pp. 3614-3622, 4 May 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJBM DOI: 10.5897/AJBM11.091 ISSN 1993-8233 ©2011 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper A study into the levels of decision making and coping wıth stress of the students of physıcal education and sports college Murat Tekin Karamanolu Mehmetbey University College of Physical Education and Sports, 70100 Karaman , Turkey. E-mail:[email protected]. Accepted 18 February, 2011 The purpose of the current study is to investigate the levels of decision making and coping with stress of students of physical education and sports college. The research group was made up of 413 girls and 590 boys ( X age=21.4607±1.8792), 1003 in total, studying at the physical education and sports colleges of Gazi University, Selçuk University, Kocaeli University, Arı brahim Çeçen University and Karamanolu Mehmet Bey University. To achieve the purpose of the research, “The Inventory of the Attitudes of Coping with Stress” and “Melbourne Scale of Decision Making” were based on and applied to the students that participated in the research. In the analysis and assessment of the data, multiple linear regression test was used and significance was taken as P<0.05 and in the evaluation of the data and the determination of the calculated values, SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) package program was used. At the end of the study, a significant relation was found between the levels of decision making and coping with stress of the students studying at the physical education and Sports College. Keywords: Physical education, decision making, coping with stress. INTRODUCTION Today, one spends most of his life in the process of (1990) defines decision making as the application of the instruction up to period of adulthood. University students’ resolutions depending on knowledge and skills and points levels of decision making and coping with stress are of out that, critical thinking improves the setting of learning importance. Human being, as a biological and social where there are problem solving and discussion. existence, has some physiological psychological and In another definition, decision making is given in 3 social needs. A university student is a person with his dimensions. These dimensions could be briefed as own developmental problems as an individual. He is in a follows: position of finding his identity, adopting national and universal values of the society, adapting to it and 1. The content of the decision; the factors related to the reaching to maturity. Therefore, they face periods decision. Educational program, personnel, students, pursuant to efforts to cope with and being psychologically financial and physical sources, the relation of school and fine. So, it is important for them to adapt to social life and community. improve healthy social relations. In this respect, the 2. The process of decision making; how the decision is needs, problems, the adaptation period of them to the taken and the steps of decision making. Getting to know university setting are also of importance (Özbay and the problem, defining the problem, creating choices, Palanci, 2000). Conley (1991) puts an emphasis on the expressing the decision, creating the decision and significance of defining decision making in terms of both evaluating the validity of the decision. quantity and the way it happens (Ferrara and Repa, 3. Agreeing on the decision; it is not only important what 1993). In another study by Orlich et al. (1998), Court the decision is dealt with but also who agrees on it Tekin 3615 (Lipman et al., 1985). or trying to adapt to a new situation by struggling. Being able to cope with the stressors that are a part of our daily The fact that individuals are always in an expectation life actively and on purpose is of great importance in and new approaches lead them to a difficult situation in terms of a healthy life. Coping with stress or in other terms of the strategies they follow in decision making. words stress management is essential to keep mental Therefore, while the individual shows behaviors of and physical health and maintain a productive and approach to a decision and decision making, the efficient life. If stress is able to be controlled, it could be a strategies and styles he uses gains importance. In order motivating force encouraging him in order to cope with to feel satisfaction of life and improve himself, an the factor preventing the individual from realizing his individual should attain the skill of suitable and effective aims. Coping is the behavioral and cognitive efforts decision making to help him (Ersever, 1996). That a made, so as to control demands and conflicts coming person regards a phenomenon, process or event as a from both internal and external factors. In another problem could be related to the self-esteem of him. The definition, coping is the total of behavioral and cognitive relation he connects makes him see a source as a stress efforts allowing to reduce internal and external demands or accepts it as a natural process. Used by almost created by a stressful situation and to cope with or everybody in daily life, the concept of stress is also a endure it (Pincus and Friedman, 2004). Students are psychological phenomenon experienced by many people. affected by stress extensively. For the students coming to The concept of stress derives from the old French term university and starting a new life; so many causes such “Esterece” with a meaning of “trouble” or “challenge”. as the new setting they are introduced, new friends and However, it is most likely derived from the Latin word of lecturers and economical troubles bear the potential of “stringere” which means string or stretch (Graham, 1997). stress. The excessive and chronic stress emerging due to Stress is one of the most studied issues due to its short these causes have a negative impact on their learning and long term negative effects in physical, mental, process, performance and levels of decision making emotional sense on human being, depending on its (Brown and Sue, 1999; Humphrey et al., 1998). The intensity or on the perception type of perception by the purpose of the researcher is to determine the relation one who experiences it. Stress has been defined in between levels of decision making and coping with stress different forms up to the current time. In this study, one of of the students at the college of physical education and the definitions of stress, cognitive definition putting an sport. emphasis on human – environment interaction was In this sense, a trial should be made to determined investigated. Stress, in this sense, is “the demands following: putting the harmony of man into danger at the interaction of human – environment, forcing or exceeding current 1. The relation between the levels of decision making and sources” (Folkman et al., 1986). As for coping with stress, active planning sub-dimension in coping with stress; it is defined as “the process of managing the demands 2. The relation between the levels of decision making and over which the individual evaluates his sources as seeking for support sub-dimension in coping with stress; consumptive or extremely forcing” (Lazarus and Folkman, 3. The relation between the levels of decision making and 1984). The first one of these concepts is that, coping is a taking the religion as a shelter sub-dimension in coping process or an ongoing complex interaction between an with stress; individual and his environment. The second one is that 4. The relation between the levels of decision making and coping is regarded as the relation with the administration refrain abstraction (emotional-actual) sub-dimension in rather than eliminating it; stress is considered within a coping with stress; realistic point of view and thought that, not every problem 5. The relation between the levels of decision making and will be coping. The third concept is that, this definition refrain from abstraction (Bio-chemical) sub-dimension in contains a concept of evaluation in it. If such a case is coping with stress; thought to be the one creating stress, it is the one 6. The relation between the levels of decision making and creating stress. accept – cognitive reconstruction sub-dimension in Finally, coping is something to put an effort and coping with stress of the students at the college of contains cognitive and behavioral efforts concerning the physical education and sport . management of the case leading to a potential stress. With the evaluation of the phenomenon of coping with stress as a process, it is clear that individuals make some METHOD evaluations dealing with the source of stress and the process of coping starts with a cognitive evaluation. Research group Stress could have an impact on the life quality of an The research group was made up of 413 girls and 590 boys individual, causing to have a negative mental and ( X age=21.4607+1.8792), 1003 in total, studying at the physical emotional effect on people, so leading them to expe- education and sports colleges of Gazi University, Selçuk University, rience discomfort (Gürça, 2008). When encountered Kocaeli University, Ari Ibrahim Çeçen University and Karamanolu with stress, individual is away from the setting of danger Mehmet Bey University. 3616 Afr. J. Bus. Manage. Data collection one of the choices of “never”, “rarely”, “sometimes”, “frequently” or “always”. Students were also asked to choose and mark the item Current data concerning the purpose of the research was first given best fitting them while answering the inventory. systematically through scanning of the literature. In that way, a 6 factors determined through the technique was named as active theoretical framework was formed.