Development of the sport achievement orientation questionnaire for Japanese athletes by exploratory factor analysis

In this study, a questionnaire to assess achievement orientation in sport for Japanese athletes was developed. We created the questionnaire by picking items from free descriptions of Japanese athletes and using factor analysis of the responses in a Japanese sport setting. The subjects were 2,415 athletes (M=16.7 yr., SD=2.7) in Japan. Factor analyses in this study identified three factors. Top Level Orientation, Demonstrating Ability Orientation, and Win Orientation, respectively. An examination of the intercorrelations among the three scores showed the subscales were related. There were no correlations between the new measure and the Japanese versions of the Sport Orientation Questionnaire and the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire except that the correlation of Win Orientation and the SOQ Athletic Success Orientation was low and negative. These results suggested that the three subscales appeared to be separate but related factors, and that it is an original measurement for only Japanese athletes. The overall factor reliability and validity based on the sample suggested that the Sport Achievement Orientation Questionnaire for Japanese Athletes can be valuable means for the investigation of achievement orientation in Japanese sport and exercise settings.