Investigation of the effect of sports on social approval need

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of sports on individuals' social approval need and to identify the relationship between sport and social approval need them. The study sample of the research consists of 431 university students studying at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University in the fall and spring semesters of the 2020-2021 academic year. Purposive sampling model was used in the research. In order to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of university students, a personal information form prepared by the researcher and to identify subjects' social approval need level the "Need for Social Approval Scale" (NSAS) developed by Karaşar and Öğülmüş (2016) were used in data collection. When the research findings were examined, it was determined that university students who do not regularly do sports have a higher level of need for social approval than university students who do sports regularly. When the scores, obtained from "sensitivity to the judgments of others" and "social withdrawal" sub-dimensions of the NSAS, compared according to gender of the participants who do sports regularly, no statistically significant difference was found (p>0.016). A significant difference was found in favor of female participants in the "leaving a positive impression" sub-dimension of the scale (p<0.016). Additionally, in the gender comparisons of social approval need level of university students who do not participate sport regularly, while significant differences were identified in the sub-dimensions of "sensitivity to the judgments of others" and "social withdrawal" (p<0.016); no significant difference was found in "leaving a positive impression" sub-dimension (p>0.016). When both male and female subjects score considered, significant differences were obtained in all sub-dimensions of the NSAS according to regularly sport participation variable in the favor of subjects who do not participate in sport regularly (p<0.016). In addition, when the relationship between the time allocated to sports and the level of social approval considered, a significant relationship was obtained in the sub-dimensions of "social withdrawal" ( r= -.171, p<0.01) and "leaving a positive impression" ( r= -.184, p<0.01).