Goal orientations and conceptions of the nature of sport ability in children: A social cognitive approach

Philippe Sarrazin (1) , Stuart K. Biddle (2) , Jean-Pierre Famose (3) , François Cury (4) , Kenneth Fox (5) , Marc Durand (6)

1 SENS - Sport et Environnement Social
2 Sport and Exercise Psychology Research Group
3 MEPS - Mouvement, Équilibre, Performance, Santé
4 LPC - Laboratoire de psychologie cognitive
5 Department of Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences
6 Chaire "Apprentissage et développement chez l'adulte"

Two studies investigated the links between goal orientations and conceptions of sport ability. In Study 1, 194 English children (aged 11-12 yrs) completed a psychological inventory which included questions on achievement goal choice and perceptions of the nature of sport ability. In Study 2, 304 French children (aged 11-17 yrs) completed questionnaires, including the French version of the Perception of Success Questionnaire and the Conception of the Nature of Athletic Ability Questionnaire. Clear relationships were observed between a social comparison goal and a conception of athletic ability as a "gift" and being "general," and between a task mastery goal and the conception of athletic ability as being incremental and determined by learning. The measuring of the causal links that unite goals and ability conceptions, as well as the likely impact of such conceptions on motivation were developed and discussed.

Mots clés: Achievement motivation; motivational goals; believes about the nature of ability; Implicit theory

Mots clés: Motivation d'accomplissement; buts motivationnels; croyances relatives à l'habileté; théories implicites

Domaines: Psychologie

Philippe Sarrazin, Stuart K. Biddle, Jean-Pierre Famose, François Cury, Kenneth Fox, et al.. Goal orientations and conceptions of the nature of sport ability in children: A social cognitive approach. British Journal of Social Psychology, 1996, 35 (3), pp.399-414. ⟨10.1111/j.2044-8309.1996.tb01104.x⟩. ⟨hal-00387221⟩