The Effect of Sports Instructors' Emotional Intelligence on Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Leader–Member Exchange (LMX)

This study examined the mediating effect of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) on the relationship between sports instructors' emotional intelligence and participant satisfaction.A survey was conducted with participants enrolled in sports facilities in the Seoul metropolitan area from May 18 to June 20, 2026.Of the 310 questionnaires collected, 304 valid responses were used for the final analysis after excluding six incomplete or invalid responses.The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 30.0 and AMOS 30.0.Frequency analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and correlation analysis were conducted to examine the characteristics and relationships among the study variables.In addition, mediation analysis was performed using Hayes (2015) PROCESS Macro Model 4. The results were as follows.First, sports instructors' emotional intelligence had a significant positive effect on participant satisfaction.Second, LMX partially mediated the relationship between sports instructors' emotional intelligence and participant satisfaction.These findings indicate that sports instructors' emotional intelligence and LMX are important factors associated with participant satisfaction.This study provides foundational data for developing effective instructional strategies to enhance participant satisfaction and for establishing educational programs designed to improve sports instructors' emotional intelligence and their relationships with participants in sports settings.