Psychosocial predictors of goal orientations in youth soccer

Little is known about the nature of task and ego orientations that are key motivation constructs. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the extent to which perceived social, contextual, and personal factors predicted the goal orientations of youth sport participants. The sample consisted of 166 male and female adolescent soccer players, who completed self-report measures at the end of a 7-week competitive season. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that the set of predictor variables accounted for 24% of the variance in player goal orientations. Higher scores on perceived soccer competence, perceived parent task orientation, and particularly perceived parent ego orientation were primarily associated with higher scores on player ego orientation. In addition, higher scores on perceived soccer competence, perceived parent task orientation, and perceived mastery climate, as well as lower scores on perceived performance climate, were associated with a higher level of player task orientation. These findings are interpreted and discussed in terms of future research directions.