Evaluation of kineaesthetic and social intelligence status of football players in different leagues

The aim of this study is to determine the kinesthetic and social intelligence levels of athletes who play football in different leagues and to evaluate the effects of various variables (such as age, sports experience, league level, etc.) on these intelligence types. For this purpose, a relational screening model, one of the descriptive research designs, was employed. The population of the research consisted of football players competing in the Turkish Football Federation's 1st League, 2nd League, 3rd League, BAL (Regional Amateur League), and Amateur Leagues. The sample group comprised 50 players from each of the following leagues: 1st League, 2nd League, 3rd League, BAL League, and Amateur League. For data collection, a "Personal Information Form" developed by the researcher and the "Multiple Intelligence Areas Assessment Scale," originally developed by Gülşen (2012) and revised in 2015, were used to assess the intelligence domains. As a result of the data analysis, it was found that participants' kinesthetic and social intelligence levels generally exhibited a normal distribution. No statistically significant differences were found in kinesthetic intelligence levels based on age, years of sports experience, educational background, or league level. However, significant differences were observed in social intelligence levels based on age and league level. Educational level and years of sports experience did not lead to significant differences in social intelligence levels. In light of these findings, it can be stated that kinesthetic intelligence tends to be more individualistic and directly linked to physical-sportive experience, whereas social intelligence is more related to environmental and social contexts. These findings underscore the applicability of multiple intelligence theory in the field of sports and highlight the importance of considering not only the physical but also the social dimensions in the individual development of athletes. Keywords: Football player; Multiple intelligence; Kinesthetic intelligence; League