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Motivational climate and changes in young athletes’ achievement goal orientations

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Abstract

Development of achievement-related motives in young athletes is believed to be influenced by the motivational climate created by coaches. In a longitudinal multilevel design utilizing 47 youth basketball teams, coach-initiated motivational climate was used to predict changes in 9–13 year old athletes’ achievement goal orientations over the course of a season. Mastery climate scores on the Motivational Climate Scale for Youth Sports were associated with significant increases in mastery goal orientation and decreases in ego orientation scores on the Achievement Goal Scale for Youth Sports. Ego motivational climate scores were significantly related to increases in ego goal orientation scores. These relations were not influenced by athletes’ age or gender. Intraclass correlations indicated low within-team consensus in athletes’ motivational climate scores, suggesting an individual- rather than team-level perceptual construct. These and other findings indicate that achievement goal orientation research can be extended downward to children below the age of 11.

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Notes

  1. The equations for the hierarchical linear model (in this case, for ego goal orientation) are as follows:

    Level 1: \( {\text{Ego}}_{tij} = \pi_{0ij} + \pi_{1} \,{\text{Time}} + e_{tij} \)

    Level 2: \( \pi_{0ij} = \beta_{00j} + r_{0} \) \( \pi_{1ij} = \beta_{10j} + \beta_{11} \,{\text{Mastery}}\,{\text{Climate}} + \beta_{12} \,{\text{Ego}}\,{\text{Climate}} + r_{1} \)

    Level 3: \( \beta_{00} = \gamma_{000} + \mu_{00} ;\,\beta_{10} = \gamma_{100} + \mu_{10} ;\,\beta_{10j} = \gamma_{120} ;\,\beta_{12} = \gamma_{120} \)

    Mixed Model: \( {\text{Ego}}_{tij} = \gamma_{000} + \gamma_{110} \, *\,{\text{Time}}\,+\,\gamma_{110} {\text{Mastery}}\,{\text{Climate}}\, *\,{\text{Time}}\) \( \,+\,\gamma_{120} {\text{Ego}}\,{\text{Climate}}\, *\,{\text{Time}}\,+\,\mu_{10} \, *\,{\text{Time}} + r_{1} \, *\,{\text{Time}} + \mu_{00} + r_{0} + e. \)

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Acknowledgments

This research was partially supported by Grant 2297 from the William T. Grant Foundation. We express our appreciation to the following for their assistance in data collection: Erica Coppel, Polo DeCano, Kira Elste, Christopher Harris, Leslie Lombardo, Kim Matz, Cheree Monroe-Wilson, Olivia Morrow, Tori Nutsch, Dana Ryan, Jason Victor, and Nathalie Walker.We also thank Kevin King for his statistical consultation.

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  1. Sean P. Cumming

    Present address: School for Health, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, P.O. Box 351525, Seattle, WA, 98195-1525, USA

    Ronald E. Smith, Frank L. Smoll & Sean P. Cumming

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Correspondence to Ronald E. Smith.

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Smith, R.E., Smoll, F.L. & Cumming, S.P. Motivational climate and changes in young athletes’ achievement goal orientations. Motiv Emot 33, 173–183 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-009-9126-4

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