THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLAYING SPORTS AND SELF-EFFICACY IN PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

elf-efficacy is an assessment of an individual's own ability to organize and perform certain actions necessary to achieve the desired outcomes, and its development is very important. The research aimed to determine whether participation in sports and success in playing sports are associated with more pronounced self-efficacy in people with disabilities, and included two studies. The aim of the first study was to examine the differences in self-efficacy between those who play sports (goalball) and those who do not play sports on a sample of people with visual impairment, as well as whether this difference exists between goalball players of different levels of performance. The aim of the second study was to examine the existence of differences in self-efficacy between wheelchair basketball players and non-wheelchair basketball players. The Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale consisting of ten statements was used as the measuring instrument and the respondents stated how much each item refers to them on a five-point Likert-type scale (from 0 to 4). In data processing the statistical method of the t-test, univariate analysis of variance (One way ANOVA), as well as the Post-Hoc test, were used. The results show that people with disabilities who play sports have more pronounced self-efficacy compared to those who do not play sports, as well as compared to athletes without disabilities. Statistical differences in self-efficacy between athletes with disabilities of different levels of performance have not been identified.