DETERMINATION OF THE ASSERTIVENESS AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS OF BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL REFEREES

It is very important to determine sport officials’ problem solving skills and assertiveness as a manager on the court. The purpose of this study was to examine assertiveness and problem solving skills of basketball and volleyball referees. 214 basketball referees (186 males and 28 females) ranging in age from 21 to 48 years ( M = 28.58. SD = 4.69) and 177 volleyball referees (112 males 65 females) ranging in age from 23 to 55 years ( M = 39.21. SD = 6.36) participated to this study voluntarily (N= 391). Hypothesis was basketball referees assertiveness and problem solving skills are better than volleyball referees. Rathus Assertiveness Inventory (RAI) and Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) were applied to the referees. As a result, basketball ( RAI = 92.20±12.71; PSI = 94.14±10.39) and volleyball ( RAI = 89.34±13.15; PSI = 108.65±17.88) referees’ average score of RAI and PSI found as middle level. According to Mann-Whitney U test findings, statistically significant difference revealed in favor of basketball referees (p <0.05). From the point of information on high scores received from PSI shows one cannot find effective solutions in the face of problems, basketball referees ( = 94.14±17.88) can find more effective solutions than volleyball referees (= 108.65 ± 10.39).