International Journal of Holistic Health, Sports and Recreation

The Moderating Role of Perceived Social Competence in the Effect of Social Appearance Anxiety on Self-Esteem Among Young Female Athletes

Feyza Meryem KARA — 2025-06-30

The aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of perceived social competence in the effect of social appearance anxiety on self-esteem among young female athletes. The participants of the study consisted of 244 young female athletes who were determined through simple random sampling and voluntarily agreed to participate. The ages of the participants ranged from 9 to 17 years (M = 13.24; SD = 1.59). In the study, the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS; Doğan, 2010), the Self-Esteem Scale (SES; Çuhadaroğlu, 1986), and the Perceived Social Competence Scale (PSCS; Sarıçam et al., 2013) were used as data collection tools. As a result of the Pearson product-moment correlation analysis, statistically significant negative relationships were found between social appearance anxiety and both self-esteem and perceived social competence. Additionally, a statistically significant positive relationship was found between self-esteem and perceived social competence. Regression analyses revealed that social appearance anxiety was a significant predictor of both self-esteem and perceived social competence, and that perceived social competence significantly predicted self-esteem. In line with the purpose of the study, analyses conducted using PROCESS Macro Model 4 showed that perceived social competence had a partial mediating effect in the relationship between social appearance anxiety and self-esteem.

Investigation of Physical Education and Sports Teachers' Quality of Work Life and Motivation Levels

Sultan YAVUZ EROGLU — 2025-06-30

The aim of this study was to determine the quality of work life and motivation levels of Physical Education and Sports Teachers working in Osmaniye City Center and to evaluate the relationship between these factors.

The study group consisted of 48 (34.0%) female and 93 (66.0%) male physical education teachers working in Osmaniye city center, totaling 141 participants. The personal information form created by the researchers, the The researchers assessed teachers' motivation levels and quality of work life by using these scales during the data collection process. In the data analysis phase, it was observed that the data were not normally distributed and Mann Witney U test was used for pairwise comparisons. In addition, Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the two scales.

As a result of the study, according to the gender variable, a significant difference was observed in favor of men in the out-of-school factors sub-dimension of the Teacher Professional Motivation scale and in favor of women in the professional development and prestige sub-dimension (p<0.05). According to the variable of adequate tools and equipment in the school, a significant difference was observed in favor of those who said no in the sub-dimensions of the Quality of Work Life Scale, in favor of those who said yes in the general well-being, being able to control the work, working conditions and the general total score of the scale (p<0.05). In addition, as a result of the correlation analysis, it was seen that there were significant positive relationships between the scores of the Teacher Professional Motivation scale and the Quality of Work Life scale.

As a result of the findings, it can be said that out-of-school factors may be more determinative among the factors that increase the professional motivation of male teachers, while professional development and prestige are more important for female teachers. It is thought that the factors affecting teachers' quality of work life and professional motivation should be understood and the working conditions of teachers should be improved by taking these factors into consideration.

Parallels Between Motor Skill Development and Language Development in Children

Görkem ACAR — 2025-06-30

This review study examines the parallels between motor skill development and language development in childhood from a multifaceted perspective. When developmental processes are examined, it is observed that these two areas influence each other reciprocally at neurological, environmental, and behavioural levels. Motor skills enhance a child's interaction with the environment and the frequency of exposure to linguistic input, while language development supports motor planning, attention, and executive functions, thereby enabling movement to become meaningful. Functional neuroimaging studies have revealed that motor and language functions are processed in similar regions of the brain, particularly the Broca area, inferior frontal gyrus, and mirror neuron system, which are common to both movement and language processes. The frequent co-occurrence of diagnoses such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and specific language impairment (SLI) supports this parallelism at the clinical level. In this context, early intervention programmes developed from a joint perspective of sports science and speech-language therapy disciplines can support children's physical and communicative potential with a holistic approach. Therefore, the widespread implementation of holistic programmes that support children's motor and language development in the preschool period can enable the early detection of developmental delays and provide support in multiple areas.

Physical Education Teachers’ Learned Helplessness, Job and Life Satisfaction Levels During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Şeymanur BAGKESEN — 2025-06-30

This study was conducted to measure physical education teachers’ learned helplessness, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction, as well as to determine the relationship between these factors, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 333 physical education teachers (234 males and 99 females) working in public and private institutions in the city of Mersin, Turkey during the spring term of the 2020-2021 academic year. The “Learned Helplessness Scale”, “Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale”, and “Life Satisfaction Scale” were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson Correlation, and regression analysis were employed for statistical analysis, with 0.05 considered the margin of error. The results of the descriptive analysis indicated that the learned helplessness levels of the participants were moderate, their intrinsic job satisfaction levels were high, and their extrinsic job satisfaction and life satisfaction levels were moderate. With respect to gender, men’s learned helplessness levels were higher than those of the female participants. The learned helplessness scores of teachers over 45 years old were higher than those of the under 35 and 35-44-year-old age groups. Concerning intrinsic job satisfaction and life satisfaction, participants over the age of 45 scored significantly higher than those under 35. According to the results of the correlation analysis, learned helplessness scores were correlated in the same direction with all variables except intrinsic job satisfaction; the latter was correlated in the same direction with the other variables. As the levels of extrinsic job satisfaction increased, an increase in life satisfaction and intrinsic helplessness levels was also observed. Finally, according to the regression analysis, learned helplessness and job satisfaction were found to predict life satisfaction by 24.8%. Our analyses determined that as the intrinsic helplessness levels of the participants decreased, their extrinsic helplessness levels increased, while intrinsic job satisfaction was found to be the most important predictor of life satisfaction. Compared with the results of previous studies, the participating teachers’ learned helplessness and job satisfaction levels during the pandemic were elevated, while no significant change was observed in their life satisfaction levels. Gender was determined not to affect job satisfaction or life satisfaction, age was shown to be a significant variable, and learned helplessness, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction were revealed to be interrelated psychological variables.

The Main Problems of Turkish Football

Ahmet OMAK — 2025-06-30

The Football, which has made remarkable progress from the past to the present, not only maintains its currency throughout the world, but also determines the world agenda. Football, which has reached a global dimension as a structure, gives direction to political, social, cultural and economic developments. The aim of this study is to evaluate the problems of Turkish football by considering them from a political, economic and administrative point of view, to reveal the changes that have occurred or likely to occur in Turkish football with the new sports law, and to offer a number of solutions for the problems of Turkish football. Document analysis technique, which is a qualitative research technique, was applied in this study. In this context, in order to access information about the problems of Football in Turkey, various scientific sources were scanned and the data obtained were examined and some findings were obtained. Scientific sources were scanned, the data obtained were examined and analyzed, and some findings were reached. According to the research findings, there are problems in the institutionalization of clubs or federations in Turkey, Football and politics cause unfair competition together, Clubs are in a difficult situation economically, There is no response in the society in terms of sports culture, Violence in sports cannot be prevented, the concept of autonomy is only found to be in theory. As a result, it has been determined that there are some problems in Turkish football in terms of institutionalization, football - politics relationship, violence in football, football economy, sports culture, autonomy in football.

Effect of Customised Insoles on Performance in Athletes

Görkem ACAR — 2025-06-30

This review study examined the effects of custom insoles on physical performance parameters in athletes. Insoles are customized according to the individual's foot morphology and biomechanical requirements to optimise plantar pressure distribution, improve lower extremity alignment, and reduce the load on the musculoskeletal system. The literature indicates that they have positive effects, particularly on sprinting, jumping, balance, and agility performance, and that they support energy efficiency and proprioceptive feedback mechanisms. Additionally, it has been reported that custom insoles have a protective effect against plantar stress and fatigue during prolonged activity, thereby enhancing performance sustainability. However, it is emphasised that they may not produce the same results in every individual and that insole design must be tailored to individual needs. Based on current findings, customised insoles are considered an effective orthotic intervention tool for improving sports performance and reducing the risk of injury. Future studies are recommended to examine the effects in more detail across different sports disciplines, surface conditions, and long-term use.

Exercise and Falls in Elderly Individuals: an Examination of Graduate Theses Written Between 2000-2025 in Turkiye

Yigit SAHIN — 2025-06-30

This research aims to examine the graduate theses written between 2000-2025 in Turkey, which address exercise and falls in elderly individuals. The main purpose of the research is to analyze and interpret the graduate theses written in this period and develop new suggestions. This research was conducted as a descriptive systematic review using the literature review method. The sample of the study was selected from theses registered in the Higher Education Council National Thesis Center. As a result of the data obtained, the number of theses, subject titles, distribution by years, data collection methods, tools used, sample groups, and topics studied were identified. In the research, the document analysis method was utilized, and a Thesis Classification Form was used to analyze the theses. According to the findings of the research, a total of 5 master's theses, 11 doctoral theses, and 1 specialization thesis were written between 2000-2025, with 1 doctoral thesis being restricted by the author. It was observed that the majority of these theses (63%) belong to the doctoral level, and they are in the fields of nursing, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. Regarding data collection methods, it was seen that most of the studies (71%) used pre-test post-test and randomized controlled methods. It can be concluded that the number of master's theses with detailed analyses on exercise and falls in elderly individuals should increase, and more mixed methods should be used to provide more meaningful contributions to the field literature.