Achievement goals in physical education: Examining the predictive ability of five different dimensions of motivational climate

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the differential relationships between five dimensions of motivational climate and achievement goals, as the latter have been conceptualized by the revised achievement goal theory. Adolescents ( N = 336, M age = 13.45 years, SD = 1.04) participating in a summer camp in southern Greece took part in the study. The participants completed the Approach Avoidance Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AAAGQ; measuring mastery, performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals, as conceptualized by Elliot, 1997), and the Learning and Performance Orientations in Physical Education Classes Questionnaire (LAPOPECQ; measuring five dimensions of task- and ego-involving motivational climate). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, after controlling for age and gender, the dimensions of motivational climate predicted achievement goals differently. Specifically, the students' learning orientation dimension was the strongest predictor of mastery goals, the students' competitive orientation dimension was the strongest predictor of performance-approach goals, while the worries about mistakes dimension was the largest predictor of performance-avoidance goals. The findings of the present study indicate that there might be differential relationships between the dimensions of motivational climate and achievement goals in a physical education context.