Motivational profiles and psychological skills usage within elite youth sport

C Harwood, Jennifer Cumming, D Fletcher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

71 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study investigated associations between achievement goal orientations and reported psychological skill use in sport. Five hundred seventy three elite young athletes completed the Perceptions of Success Questionnaire (POSQ; Roberts, Treasure, & Balague, 1998) and the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; Thomas, Murphy, & Hardy, 1999). Cluster analysis revealed three distinct goal profile groups: Cluster 1-Higher-task/Moderate-ego (n = 260); Cluster 2-Lower-task/Higher-ego (n = 120); and Cluster 3-Moderate-task/Lower-ego (n = 119). A MANOVA revealed a significant multivariate effect, Pillai's Trace =.11, F(16, 1076) = 3.75, p=.001, eta(2)=.05, with post hoc tests determining that higher-task/moderate-ego athletes reported using significantly more Imagery, Goal setting, and positive Self-talk skills when compared with Lower-task/Higher-ego and/or Moderate-task/Lower-ego athletes. These findings are discussed with respect to the potential role that achievement goals play in the application and development of psychological skills in youth sport.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)318-332
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Applied Sport Psychology
Volume16
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2004

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