The Impact of Motivational Climate on Dance Students’ Achievement Goals, Trait Anxiety, and Perfectionism

Abstract

This study examined whether dimensions of the perceived motivational climate in dance institutions could predict dancers’ levels of task and ego orientation, dimensions of trait anxiety, and dimensions of perfectionism. Participants were 181 English dance students (mean age: 18.5 years; SD: 2.0 years) from dance institutions in the United Kingdom. Participants completed surveys assessing their perceptions of the motivational climate, goal orientations for dance, trait anxiety, and perfectionist tendencies. Results of standard multiple regression analyses suggested that certain elements of the motivational climate were significant predictors of the dependent variables. Specifically, perceptions of dimensions of a performance-oriented climate were significant positive predictors of dancers’ ego orientation, elements of cognitive trait anxiety, and elements of neurotic perfectionism. Perceptions of dimensions of a mastery-oriented climate positively predicted dancers’ levels of task orientation. The findings are discussed with regard to the implications for dance pedagogy.