Achievement Goals and Motivational Climates for Physical Education.

Abstract

The focus of this study was the examination of relationships of dispositional goal orientations and perceived motivational climates to learning strategies, attributions for causes of success, practice patterns, and achievement. The study also examined the effects of an intervention designed to implement mastery focused strategies in physical education. Specifically, the research questions addressed were: (a) How do students' dispositional goal orientations relate to the perceived motivational climate in physical education classes? (b) How do students' goal orientations and the perceived motivational climate relate to attributions for success and learning strategies employed in a physical education class? (c) Are practice patterns different in task-involved and ego-involved environment in physical education? (d) What effect does the implementation of a task-involved environment in physical education class have on achievement? and (e) Can the perceptions of a task-involved climate in physical education classes be enhanced by the implementation of task-involved teaching strategies? Middle school students (268) from nine intact physical education classes participated in a three week instructional unit in badminton. The classes were assigned to one of two different conditions; (1) a normal class routine and (2) a task-involved climate. Prior to the instructional unit, the students completed a Perceived Motivational Climate in Physical Education questionnaire and a skill pretest on the badminton short serve. During the unit, practice data were collected and students completed cognitive questionnaires to gather information about goal orientation, attributional thoughts, and learning strategies. Following the unit, all students completed cognitive questionnaires to gather information about goal orientation, attributional thoughts, and learning strategies. Following the unit, all students were posttested and completed the Perceived Motivational Climate in PE questionnaire again. The results suggest that a task-involved goal perceived produces a more efficient learning experience. While all students improved the skill test scores, the students in the task-involved classes improved at a greater rate. Finally, perceptions of task-involved climates were enhanced by verbal strategies used by teachers in the task-involved conditions.