Analysis of the self-efficacy of ice hockey referees

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyse the self-efficacy of ice hockey referees and the factors that contribute to their self-efficacy. We used the quantitative study design (survey model). The study group included 97 ice hockey referees (26 females, 71 males) actively working in Erzurum, Ankara, İzmir and İstanbul Provinces. The "Referee Self-Efficacy Scale (REFS)" was used to measure the self-efficacy of the referees participating in the study. We used the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for data analysis. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results of our study showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the referee self-efficacy scale scores according to the gender and education level variables (p > 0.05), but there was a statistically significant difference in the communication sub-dimension of the referees in the age variable (in favour of athletes aged 22-24 years) (p = .025). A statistically significant difference was also found in the game knowledge (p =.013) and decision making sub-dimensions (p = .017) in the refereeing status variable, and also in the decision making (p = .025) and communication sub-dimensions (p = .033) in the referee region variable. There was a remarkable difference between the referees living in Kocaeli in terms of the region, while there was a significant difference between the referees living in Erzurum in the communication sub-dimension (p < 0.05). In conclusion, demographic variables are a determining factor in the self-efficacy of the referees, as well as the factors such as the referees' area of training, match experience, and referee experience.