Use of the Sport Orientation Questionnaire with wheelchair athletes: examination of evidence for validity

The factor structure of the Sport Orientation Questionnaire with three factors of competitiveness, win orientation, and goal orientation was examined in a sample of 243 wheelchair athletes from the USA. Based on sample-specific validity evidence theory, it was hypothesized that the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses would yield evidence on validity for wheelchair athletes who were different from able-bodied athletes. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed the hypothesis with a clear fourth and a questionable fifth factor. A confirmatory factor analysis did not adequately explain the new five-factor model. The new emerging fourth and fifth factors separated the competitiveness element of the questionnaire in 'self-referenced' and 'other-referenced' elements of competitiveness. Results are discussed in terms of demographic characteristics of the sample of wheelchair athletes.     

Comparison of sport achievement orientation of male professional, amateur, and wheelchair basketball athletes

To examine the differences in sport achievement orientation among 35 professional, 36 amateur, and 35 wheelchair basketball athletes, these men completed three subscales of Competitiveness, Win orientation, and Goal orientation of the 25-item Sport Orientation Questionnaire. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant differences among groups. Win orientation was the factor, through discriminant function analysis, that significantly separated the athletes into the three groups. The highest win score was obtained by the professional, followed by the amateur and wheelchair groups. Replication study is necessary to confirm the present findings.     

Comparison of sport achievement orientation of male wheelchair basketball athletes with congenital and acquired disabilities

The study was designed to examine the sport achievement orientations of male wheelchair basketball athletes who differed by onset of experienced disability (congenital and acquired). The full Sport Orientation Questionnaire was administered to 166 U.S. national athletes. Athletes with congenital disabilities had higher mean scores than their peers with acquired disabilities on the three subscales of the full form and on the extraction items as a short form (Competitiveness, Win Orientation, and Goal Orientation). Multivariate analysis of variance yielded no significant differences between groups. Significant differences on Competitiveness and Goal Orientation, with a higher mean were found for the group with congenital disabilities than for the group with acquired disabilities. The results are discussed in relation to the literature, nature of wheelchair basketball, and application of the test to such athletes.     

Exploring competitive orientation in a group of athletes participating in the 1996 paralympic trials

The purposes of this study were to test (1) whether athletes with congenital disabilities exhibited different competitive orientations than athletes with disabilities acquired during their lifespans and (2) whether male athletes with disabilities exhibited different competitive orientations than their female peers. 54 paraplegic, quadriplegic and amputee athletes competing in the 1996 Paralympic Track and Field Trials completed the Sport Orientation Questionnaire. No mean differences were found between men and women, athletes with different onsets of their disabilities across the lifespan, between adolescents and adults, and between athletes with different severity classifications on the Goal orientation, Competitiveness, and Desire to win scales. Larger studies are encouraged to examine competitive orientation, as well as scores on tests specifically constructed to be administered to athletes with disabilities.     

Revising the Competitiveness Index using factor analysis

The Competitiveness Index is a 20-item true-false measure designed to assess the desire to win in interpersonal situations. To develop a more psychometrically sound form of the scale, 213 undergraduates were administered the original form and a modified version containing a 5-point Likert-type scale. An initial principal component analysis using a varimax rotation of the modified version yielded a four-factor solution accounting for 54.5% of the explained variance. Based on a subsequent reliability analysis. six items were dropped from the modified scale. A second analysis produced a two-factor solution accounting for 54.1% of the explained variance. Both factors (Enjoyment of Competition and Contentiousness) formed reliable subscales. The 14-item Revised Competitiveness Index had high internal consistency and was positively correlated with the original Competitiveness Index, the competitiveness subscales of the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire, the Sports Orientation Questionnaire, and the Nach Naff measure of Need for Achievement.     

Development of the Sports Performance Inventory: A Psychological Measure of Athletic Potential

The current study extends existing sport psychology research by developing a more comprehensive athlete attitudinal survey—the Sports Performance Inventory (SPI). A multiple item survey consisting of sport-related attitudinal items was distributed to 274 students enrolled in a large Division I Midwestern university. A principal components analysis with varimax rotation performed on the original survey items resulted in an 83 item survey with six interpretable factors: Competitiveness, Team Orientation, Mental Toughness, Emotional Control, Positive Attitude, and Safety Consciousness. All subscales demonstrated adequate item discriminability and internal consistency. Important statistically significant differences between college/novice and male/female athletes were found: (1) College athletes were found to have a higher SPI composite than novice athletes; (2) College athletes were found to have a more positive attitude than novice athletes; (3) College athletes were more competitive than novice athletes; (4) Females were more team oriented than males; and (5) Novice males were more competitive than novice females, while college females were more competitive than college males. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Worldviews: American and Fijian Counseling Students

The Scale to Assess World Views was administered to 104 Fijians and to 109 Americans who were all enrolled in counseling programs in their respective countries. Fijians and Americans were compared in order to determine whether the worldviews of counseling students in these two countries were different. Differences were found between the Fijian and American counseling students on the Human Relationships category and the Time Orientation Category. The Fijian Counseling students scored higher than the Americans on the Lineal-Hierarchical and Collateral-Mutual subscales of the Human Relationships Category and higher than the Americans on the Past and Future subscales of the Time Orientation Category.     

目标取向、道德认同、道德推脱与大学生运动员的反社会行为的关系

研究从道德失调的观点出发探讨了目标取向、道德认同、道德推脱与大学生运动员在比赛中的反社会行为的关系.198名大学生运动员参加了本研究并完成了任务取向和自我取向问卷、道德推脱问卷、道德认同问卷和运动中的反社会行为问卷.分析发现,任务取向减少了大学生运动员的反社会行为,但是自我取向增加了他们的反社会行为;道德推脱在自我取向与反社会行为的关系中发挥着中介作用,且这一中介作用受到道德认同的调节,较低的道德认同增加了自我取向的运动员的道德推脱,并由此提高其反社会行为倾向.     

Gender Role Orientation of Athletes and Nonathletes in a Patriarchal Society: A Study in Turkey

The purpose of this study was to compare the gender role orientation and gender role classification of female and male athletes to those of their nonathlete counterparts. A total of 463 athletes and 378 nonathletes completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The findings indicated that athletes score higher on the masculinity and femininity subscales than do nonathletes. Men had higher scores on masculinity than did women, whereas women had higher scores on femininity than did men. In addition, both men and women athletes were mostly classified in the androgynous category. These findings are discussed in relation to the competitive sport environment and Turkish society.     

Competing on all fronts: Achievement orientation and disordered eating

Strikingly high prevalence rates of symptoms of disordered eating among college women have been documented. The question arises as to whether one aspect of the college experience, achievement orientation, is associated with disordered eating. Competing hypotheses may be generated regarding the relationship between achievement orientation and disordered eating, with arguments for either a positive or negative relationship. The Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire (WOFO) and the Disordered Eating Symptoms Scale (DESS) were administered to 668 female undergraduate college students. Multivariate analysis of the WOFO subscales revealed that women with high levels of disordered eating obtained significantly higher scores on the Competitiveness subscale than women with low DESS scores. These findings support hypotheses of a positive relationship between competitiveness and disordered eating.     

Competitiveness among females and males in physical activity classes

Competitive orientations of 237 male and female undergraduates enrolled in competitive and noncompetitive physical activity classes were investigated using the Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire [WOFO: R. L. Helmreich and J. T. Spence, The Work and Family Orientation Questionnaire: An Objective Instrument to Assess Components of Achievement Motivation and Attitudes Toward Family and Career, Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 1978, 8(2) (Document #1677)] and a Competitiveness Inventory. Factor analysis confirmed the four WOFO dimensions proposed by Helmreich and Spence (mastery, work, competitiveness, personal unconcern). Factor analysis of the Competitiveness Inventory revealed three factors termed competitiveness, goal orientation, and win orientation. Sex × Activity Class (competitive or noncompetitive) (2 × 2) multivariate analyses revealed sex differences on the WOFO scores, both sex and activity differences on the Competitiveness Inventory scores, and no interactions. Sex differences on the WOFO scores confirmed Spence and Helmreich's findings; females scored higher on work and males scored higher on competitiveness. On the Competitiveness Inventory, males scored slightly higher than females on competitiveness, but most of the multivariate sex difference was due to males scoring higher on win orientation and females scoring higher on goal orientation. In contrast, the multivariate activity difference was due primarily to competitiveness; students in competitive activities scored considerably higher on competitiveness than students in noncompetitive activities. The findings suggest that sport-achievement orientation has a unique factor structure and provide evidence supporting the validity of the sport-specific, multidimensional Competitiveness Inventory.The assistance of Thomas Deeter and Carol Gruber with data collection and analysis is gratefully acknowledged.     

Development of a Greek version of the Sport Motivation Scale

The aim of the present study was to examine preliminarily the validity of a Greek version of the 1995 Sport Motivation Scale of Pelletier, Fortier, Vallerand, Tuson, Briere, and Blais. For 134 athletes the seven subscales had moderate to good internal consistency (Cronbach coefficients alpha from .64 to .78). Confirmatory factor analysis with nested factor models supported the structural validity of the inventory. Moreover, correlations of scores on the subscales with a measure of task and ego orientation as well as with athletes' self-reported effort in training were in the expected direction.     

Athletic Identity and Social Goal Orientations as Predictors of Moral Orientation

Moral development, achievement goal, and athletic identity are considered psychological constructs sharing specific cognitive, social, motivational, and behavioral traits. The purpose of the present article is to investigate the relation among moral orientations, athletic identity, and social goal orientations. In addition, the impact of age, gender, type of sport, sport division, and school performance on moral orientation has also been investigated. One hundred forty athletes of artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and acrobatic gymnastics (n?=?29 boys, n?=?111 girls), aged 8 to 17, participated in the research. They belonged to IV, III, II, and I sport divisions. The participants filled in three questionnaires: Moral Orientation Students in Physical Education Questionnaire, Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, and Social Goal Orientation Questionnaire. The results established that moral orientation is related to the athletic identity and achievement social goal constructs, as well as the fact that they affect school performance.     

Orientation and lever responding in auditory discriminations in squirrel monkeys.

Head orientation during auditory discriminations was studies in squirrel monkeys using a two-lever trial-by-trial procedure. Animals were studied using auditory discriminations based on the position of the sound and on the spectral content differences between a pure tone and a noise. After the percentage of correct responses reached asymptote, head orientation was measured using videotape recordings. Orientation occurred on virtually every trial and was under the control of the position of the sound under all conditions. Lever responding was controlled by the same parameters of the sound under some conditions, and by different parameters in others. Orientation and lever responding were correlated (a level response could be predicted from the direction of orientation) when both responses were under the control of the same parameters of the sound. The two responses were uncorrelated when they were controlled by different parameters of the sound. Orientation and lever responding were not functionally related.     

Achievement in mathematics in grades 9 and 11 in Limpopo Province of South Africa: introduction of a problem-based approach

800 students in Grades 9 and 11 of schools in the Central Region of the Limpopo Province of South Africa completed the Study Orientation Questionnaire in Mathematics. Mean age in Grade 11 was 17.5 yr. (SD = 1.4) and in Grade 9 15.1 yr. (SD = 1.2). Intervention was aimed at teachers and students in this group. Teachers in the trained group received training in a problem-based approach to teaching and learning in mathematics and introduced these principles into their classes. Analysis of variance on the differences between post- and pretest scores of the six subscales and the marks in mathematics and English yielded no effects for grade, sex, or grade after 6 mo. Pearson correlations for students in Grade 11 were positive between study orientation and achievement in mathematics. Improving teachers' training and expertise, transforming disadvantaged learning environments, and developing necessary formal and informal mathematical knowledge seem both essential and difficult.     

Validation of a Chinese achievement goal orientation questionnaire

Background . The mixed findings of previous studies on the nature and effects of performance goals have led to a call for re‐examination of the dichotomous framework of achievement goal orientation theory. While the call for a revised achievement goal orientation theory has received considerable discussion in Western studies, it is not clear whether the revised theory can also be applied in other ethnic and cultural contexts. Aims . Our aim was to validate the Chinese version of Elliot and Church's (1007) Goal Orientation Questionnaire and to initially test the revised goal orientation theory in the context of Chinese students in Hong Kong. Sample . A total of 270 Chinese students (137 boys and 133 girls) from a primary and secondary school in Hong Kong participated in Study 1. Study 2 involved a total of 9,440 students (5,420 boys and 4,020 girls) from 10 primary and 18 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Method . Participants in Study 1 completed a Chinese Goal Orientation Questionnaire (CGOQ) measuring three types of goal orientation. Exploratory factor analysis, item–total correlation, and reliability analyses were undertaken to assess the psychometric quality of the CGOQ. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis was used to provide further validation for the revised questionnaire. The relationships among different goal orientations and that with students' perceived classroom environment and self‐efficacy were also explored using structural equation modelling. Results . Findings of exploratory factor analysis in Study 1 and confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 supported the proposed factor structure of the CGOQ. All the subscales in the questionnaire also showed good internal consistency reliabilities. The construct validity of the CGOQ was supported by its significant relationship with criterion measures. While most of the relationships between the three types of goal orientation and the learning‐related variables measured in our study were consistent with the revised goal orientation theory, the positive relationships between performance‐avoidance goals, mastery goals, and perceived classroom environment were different from previous studies. Conclusion . Our findings generally supported the trichotomous framework of the revised goal orientation theory with Chinese students in Hong Kong. Consistent with the revised goal orientation theory, our findings indicated that both mastery and performance‐approach goals had positive impacts on students' learning. However, the positive relationships between performance‐avoidance goals, mastery goals, and perceived classroom environment were contradictory to the conceptualization of performance‐avoidance goals in the revised theory. Cultural and social factors affecting Hong Kong students' goal orientations are discussed.     

Development and validation of the Achievement Goal Scale for Youth Sports

ObjectiveThe objective was to develop and validate an achievement goal scale for young athletes that was aligned with the 2 (mastery/ego)×2 (approach/avoidance) achievement goal framework.MethodA total of 1675 male and female athletes ranging in age from 9 to 14 years participated in the AGSYS scale development and validation phases. Items having a readability level of grade 4 (age 9) or below were written and evaluated in a series of studies to assess the reliability, factorial validity, and construct validity of the Mastery and Ego scales.DesignBoth correlational and experimental methods were used to assess reliability and validity.ResultsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated factorial validity in samples of 9–10-, 11–12-, and 13–14-year-old athletes, and the subscales correlated in a predicted fashion with one another, with other sport and academic goal orientation measures and with several other theoretically relevant variables, including coach-initiated motivational climate, competitive trait anxiety, sport enjoyment, motivation, and self-esteem. Scores also changed significantly in response to a motivational climate coach intervention.ConclusionThe Achievement Goal Scale for Youth Sports (AGSYS) appears to be a reliable and valid measure of achievement goal approach orientations in children between the ages of 9 and 14 years. We were not successful in developing corresponding avoidance goal orientation scales that were not highly correlated, raising the possibility that children do not cognitively differentiate between mastery-avoidance and ego-avoidance orientations.     

Religious Orientation and Health among Active Older Adults in the United States

This study utilizes a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic Religious Orientation Scales to explore the connection between religion and health in a sample of physically active, older adults. The revised Religious Orientation Scale and the RAND Short Form 36 (SF-36) were adopted to relate religious orientation (intrinsic, extrinsic, pro-religious, and non-religious) and self-rated mental and physical health status. Individuals of pro-religious orientation reported significantly worse health for physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, and energy or fatigue when compared with those of all other religious orientations; however, no dose–response relationships were found between religious orientation and self-rated health. The results of this study indicate that deleterious health effects may accompany pro-religious orientation. Caution is provided for directors of religious programs for older adults.     

The Health Orientation Scale: A measure of psychological tendencies associated with health

Health professionals have recently begun to examine the impact of psychological tendencies on people's physical health. The present investigation sought to facilitate this research endeavour through the development and validation of a self-report instrument designed to measure multiple health-related psychological tendencies. Reliability analyses provided evidence of internal consistency for the subscales of the Health Orientation Scale. Other results indicated that both gender and age jointly influenced people's responses to the Health Orientation Scale. A final set of results revealed that the psychological variables measured by the Health Orientation Scale were predictive of women's and men's self-reported compliance with health-promoting behaviours. The discussion focuses on the potential uses of the Health Orientation Scale in both research and applied settings.