Cross-cultural differences of leadership style and emotional intelligence level in physical education teacher's success of China and Ukraine

The psychological profile of a physical education teacher can vary depending on cross-cultural differences. The primary objective of this article is to examine the emotional intelligence and leadership styles of physical education teachers in China and Ukraine and to analyze their correlation with students' positive perceptions. The study involved 600 students and 20 teachers. The instruments used were the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI), the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS), and the Positive Teacher Scale (PTS). The results showed significant differences in emotional intelligence and leadership styles between the countries (p < 0.001), with Ukrainian teachers scoring higher on self-awareness, social awareness, and democratic leadership style. In contrast, Chinese teachers excelled in self-management and authoritarian leadership styles. Correlation analysis revealed that student satisfaction with teachers' competence in China was associated with teachers' extraversion (r = 0.164, p < 0.01), while in Ukraine, support for student engagement positively correlated with teachers' self-awareness (r = 0.431, p < 0.01). The practical and scientific significance of this study lies in demonstrating the cross-cultural differences observed in the two countries regarding the aspects studied, thereby expanding the field of knowledge and informing educational policy development.