RELACIJE BAVLJENJA SPORTOM I EMOCIONALNE INTELIGENCIJE NA SREDNJOŠKOLSKOM UZRASTU

Simultanously a very popular and methodologically controversial construct of emotional intelligence has been associated with a plethora of relevant external variables of psychological function- ing in various life domains. Although there are theoretical con- siderations linking sport participation and emotional intelligence, the lack of research on the topic is particularly apparent when it comes both to our region and the adolescent population. The aim of our study was to explore whether sport participation among high school students is associated with emotional intelligence, conceptualized both as a trait and as an ability. The sample com- prised 191 high school students (61.1% females, age range: 14 to 19 years) to whom we administered the self‒report questionnaire UEK45 with a three‒factor structure, and two objective situational tests of emotional intelligence, STEU and STEM. Our results confirmed the need to distinguish the emotional intelligence con- structs measured by self‒assessment questionnaires and objec- tive tests. Furthermore, we observed that – even when controlled for age and gender – the athletes score higher on all measures, this being more evident on objective tests. In our paper we dis- cuss potential explanations for the differences obtained on hiea- rarchically more complex levels of emotional intelligence and we emphasize the need for a multhimetod approach when assessing emotional competences in young athletes whether for research or professional purposes.