Investigation of recreational leadership behaviors of students studying in recreation department

The purpose of this study is to determine the recreational leadership behaviors of students studying in the recreation department. The sample of the study consists of 158 students, 96 male and 62 female, studying in the recreation education department of Aydın Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Sports Sciences. The Recreational Leadership Behavior Scale, developed by Ayyıldız Durhan and colleagues (2022), was used in the study. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26. Before proceeding with the analysis, the normality of the data was tested and determined to follow a normal distribution. Independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used in the study. Bonferroni Test was used to determine the source of differences obtained from the one-way analysis of variance. The results of the analysis revealed that students had higher average scores in democratic behaviors in recreational leadership. Female students exhibited higher levels of autocratic behavior. Students who participated more frequently in recreational activities had higher levels of autocratic behaviors, while no difference was observed in democratic behaviors. It was determined that students who generally engaged in active recreational activities had higher levels of recreational leadership, democratic behaviors, and autocratic behaviors compared to students who generally participated in passive recreational activities. Students who had previously exercised leadership in a group had higher levels of recreational leadership, democratic behaviors, and autocratic behaviors compared to students who had not previously led any group.