An investigation of an investigation between volleyball referees' self-efficacy levels and their rational and intuitive decisiondecision-making styles

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between volleyball referees' self-efficacy levels and their rational and intuitive decision-making styles. A relational screening model, which is a type of descriptive method within quantitative research designs, was employed in this study. The study population consists of referees affiliated with the Turkish Volleyball Federation. The sample group comprises 284 volleyball referees (134 female and 150 male), aged 18 and above, selected using the random sampling method. Material and Method: This study employed the descriptive relational screening model, a quantitative research method. The study population consisted of referees within the Turkish Volleyball Federation. The sample group consisted of 284 volleyball referees (134 female and 150 male) aged 18 and over from seven regions, selected through a random sampling method. The Referee Self-Efficacy Scale and the Rational and Intuitive Decision-Making Styles Scale were used as data collection tools. In the statistical analysis of the study, skewness and kurtosis values were examined to assume normality. The results were evaluated non-parametrically for the referee self-efficacy scale scores, while the Rational and Intuitive Decision-Making Styles Scale scores were evaluated parametrically. Based on this information, the Student t-test and Mann Witney U test were used for pairwise comparisons, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for multiple comparisons. The relationship between volleyball referees' self-efficacy and rational and intuitive decision-making styles was determined by Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Results: The findings indicated that there were no significant differences in the rational and intuitive decision-making style scores based on gender, education level, income level, refereeing level, years of refereeing experience, and volleyball playing status. However, significant differences were found based on age and the number of seasons officiated. In contrast, significant differences were observed in self-efficacy scores across all demographic variables. A significant but low-level positive correlation was identified between referees' self-efficacy levels and their rational and intuitive decision-making styles. This suggests that as referees' self-efficacy increases, their use of both rational and intuitive decision-making styles also increases. Conclusions: Based on these results, it is recommended to organize activities aimed at enhancing the knowledge and competencies of volleyball referees, which is of great importance for making accurate and precise decisions during matches.