Abstract
The assessment of achievement motivation in the context of selection decisions in elite youth sports is associated with serious problems (e.g. socially desirable responses). In order to counteract such problems, an external rating scale for the assessment of the Achievement-Motivated Behavior in Individual Sports (AMBIS-I) from a coach’s perspective was constructed and checked for psychometric quality in three consecutive steps. The studies are based on four different German-speaking samples, including 101 experienced coaches from individual sports and 26 sport psychologists. Multiple phases of exploratory structural equation modeling, item removal and cross-validation unveiled a three-factorial model with 10 items displaying excellent fit indices, acceptable to good reliability, and evidence based on internal structure. Relationships with athletes’ performance level point to the instrument’s evidence for test-criterion relationship. These preliminary results are promising when considering the construction and show the potential of the economical coach rating scale for the scientifically sound assessment of observable achievement-motivated behavior in individual sports.
Highlights
The assessment of achievement motivation in the context of selection decisions in elite youth sports is associated with serious problems
The analysis of the items (e.g. “I am optimistic about most things in sports”; “In training, I often have to think about things that have nothing to do with what I’m doing”) displays that this construct, which should be closer located to behavior than the achievement motives, is not observable from the outside
Because it must be assumed that the achievement-motivated behavior of individual and team athletes differs due to their different settings, this study focuses on individual sports only
Summary
The assessment of achievement motivation in the context of selection decisions in elite youth sports is associated with serious problems (e.g. socially desirable responses). Relationships with athletes’ performance level point to the instrument’s evidence for test-criterion relationship These preliminary results are promising when considering the construction and show the potential of the economical coach rating scale for the scientifically sound assessment of observable achievement-motivated behavior in individual sports. It is according to the Rubicon Model of Action Phases (at a glance: Achtziger & Gollwitzer, 2018) assuming that motivational processes only lead to the decision to act, and that volitional processes are needed to implement the favored behavior (Achtziger & Gollwitzer, 2018) Those processes are responsible for initiating an action and maintaining it until the goal has been reached, and include cognitive, motivational and emotional control strategies for not giving up when things get difficult, not letting oneself be distracted, not losing one’s confidence, and staying positive (Elbe & Beckmann, 2006). The analysis of the items (e.g. “I am optimistic about most things in sports”; “In training, I often have to think about things that have nothing to do with what I’m doing”) displays that this construct, which should be closer located to behavior than the achievement motives, is not observable from the outside
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