Ego Orientation Research Articles

Impact of goal orientation on moral competence development in youth

The study had two aims. The first was to investigate correlation between specific types of goal orientation as a predictor of prosocial and antisocial functioning and level of moral competences. The second, was to verify whether goal orientation has an impact on the development of moral competences of students participating in a pedagogical intervention based on non-linear pedagogy. Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire and Moral Competence Test were used to assess 468 secondary school students aged 15 in goal orientation and moral competences level. There was no correlation between the level of task and ego orientation and the level of moral competence. Under the influence of pedagogical experiment students with high level of task orientation achieved a statistically significantly higher change in the level of moral competences (η2 = 0.04). Study suggests that high level of task orientation is more susceptible to the development of moral competencies. Also, employing a non-linear pedagogy model in physical education, provides a conducive environment for the development of moral competences and should be implemented in the training of future physical education teachers.

Unveiling Players' Perceptions of Mother- and Father-Initiated Motivational Climates and Fear of Failure in Youth Male Team Sports.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived mother- and father-initiated motivational climates and players' fear of failure in youth male team sports. A sample of 336 youth male players from five team sports (basketball, football, handball, volleyball, and water polo) completed the Parent-Initiated Motivational Climate Questionnaire-2 and the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory. The results showed that perceived mother- and father-initiated motivational climates were related to fear of failure predispositions. While a mastery orientation (perceived learning-enjoyment climate) had a low association with fear of failure, an ego orientation (perceived worry-conducive and success-without-effort climates) was highly related to fear of failure. Father-initiated climates had stronger associations with fear of failure than mother-initiated ones, revealing that mothers and fathers may have different influences when considering the developmental origins of fear of failure. The relationships between mother- and father-initiated motivational climates and fear of failure varied according to the type of sport, with basketball, football, and volleyball presenting stronger associations. The dimensions "Fear of important others losing interest" and "Fear of upsetting important others" presented the highest explained variance in all sports when predicted by the father-initiated motivational climate. The findings can inform important evidence-based guidelines and recommendations for parents, coaches, and organizations, enabling them to create supportive environments that aid athletes in developing the necessary psychological skills for long-term success and well-being.

Goal Orientation and Desire for Approval Were Associated With Sports Injuries Among Young Japanese Athletes

IntroductionThis study aimed to clarify the relationship between psychological factors (goal orientation and desire for approval from others) and the severity of sports injuries experienced by young Japanese athletes. Methods560 young Japanese athletes (males = 328 and females = 232) aged 18–24 years completed an online survey in 2022–2023. A web questionnaire was used to investigate participants’ task and ego orientations, desire for approval from others (e.g., coaches and friends/families), and history of injury. The samples were then split into three groups based on the rest duration due to the injury: non-injury group (0 days), mild-to-moderate injury group (1–27 days), and severe injury group (> 28 days). Spearman's test examined a correlation between task and ego orientation scores among all samples. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the scores between the severe injury and non-injury groups. ResultA significant positive correlation was found between task and ego orientation scores from all samples (rho = 0.27, p < 0.001). The severe injury group had significantly higher task orientation scores and desire for approval scores than those of the non-injury group (ཐ=0.001, p < 0 .001). ConclusionsJapanese young athletes with high task orientation and approval desire may be at risk of severe sports injuries requiring more than 4 weeks to return to sports. The goal orientation profiles should be interpreted with caution. Future research should examine contextual effects such as the perceived motivational climate, in addition to the goal orientation profiles.

Personality determinants of goal orientation in elite long-distance and mountain runners

Background and Study Aim. The achievement theory points to two motivational orientations that represent different views on an individual's perception of success. In sports, these aspects are closely associated with various individual characteristics and athletic achievements. The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between personality traits and aspects of goal orientation among long-distance and mountain runners of both genders. Material and Methods. The study involved 9 women aged 26 to 34 and 13 men aged 26 to 38 who were members of the national long-distance and mountain running teams (medallists at the Polish and European Championships in their disciplines). Among the participants there were graduate students. The Polish adaptation of Costa and McCrae’s NEO Five-Factor Inventory questionnaire was used to examine the level of personality traits. The level of goal orientation dimensions was determined using the Polish adaptation of the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 13 software. Results. In the studied group of male athletic competitors, three significant relationships were observed: a negative correlation between ego orientation and both neuroticism and openness to experience; a negative correlation between the overall level of goal orientation and neuroticism. These results are explained by the relationship that occurs between emotional balance and resilience to criticism and the desire to compare oneself to others and the tendency to demonstrate superior skills in front of others. Conclusions. The findings underscore the importance of considering individual characteristics in athletic competition. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of assessing personality traits and goal orientation dimensions among student and competitive long-distance and mountain runners of both genders. Additionally, the significance of these factors in predicting sporting achievement is highlighted, suggesting avenues for further research and practical application.

Reliability, Factorial Invariance, Latent Mean Differences of the Goal Orientations in Exercise Scale (GOES) and the Relation of Ego-Task Profiles with Resilience and Life Satisfaction in Ecuadorian Sample

The Achievement Goal Theory has been commonly used in the literature and the relation between the goal orientation construct and aspects of athletes’ personality and well-being is an important element to be considered in the sports field. The objectives of this study were: (i) to confirm the reliability, factorial invariance and existence of latent mean differences of the Goal Orientations in Exercise Scale (GOES) in an Ecuadorian sample across sex; (ii) to identify the existence of subgroups of Ecuadorian students with different profiles of goal orientations to exercise; and iii) to determine the differences in resilience and life satisfaction among these profiles. A total of 597 Ecuadorian students from the Sports Sciences degree participated in this study. Confirmatory factorial analysis supported the two-dimensional (ego-task) GOES structure. The GOES has an adequate reliability and structural invariance across sex. Significant latent mean differences on the ego orientation subscale were found across sex but not in the task one. Cluster analysis identified three task-ego orientation profiles: (1) moderately high on task and low on ego; (2) low on task and slightly high on ego; (3) high in both task and ego orientation. Post hoc comparisons showed statistical differences in resilience between the three profiles and in life satisfaction between the profile 3 and profiles 1 and 2. The current study allows the possibility of using the GOES as an invariant and reliable scale in Ecuadorian sample and initiates the use of goal orientation profiles and their relationship with resilience and life satisfaction in the sports field.

Motivational Orientation, Boredom and Fun in Physical Education: The Mediation Role of Self-Esteem and Motor Self-Efficacy.

Adolescents who enjoy physical education (PE) classes are more likely to be active during out-of-school hours. Similarly, achievement goal theory suggests that task-oriented motivation is associated with higher levels of reported fun during PE classes. In contrast, ego-oriented motivation has been related to boredom in class, but some self-perceptions (e.g., self-esteem or motoric self-efficacy) may modify this relationship and are important for physical activity. Our aim in this paper was to analyze the relationships between motivational orientation and fun and boredom in PE classes by assessing the mediating effects of self-esteem and self-efficacy. We surveyed 478 teenagers between 13 and 18years of age (M = 14.57; SD = 1.15) with the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), the Motor Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES), and the Intrinsic Satisfaction in Sport Scale (SSI-EF). We used a structural equation model to evaluate relationships between these variables of interest. We found a positive relationship between ego orientation and boredom and between task orientation and fun; and we found a negative relationship between task orientation and boredom in PE classes. Importantly, we observed indirect effects from self-esteem and motoric self-efficacy in the relationships between motivational orientation and boredom and fun in PE. These results highlight the importance of students' motivational orientations in PE classes and illustrate that self-perception of self-esteem and motoric self-efficacy can mediate these relationships.

Hope for success as a mediator between Big Five personality traits and achievement goal orientation among high performance and recreational athletes.

The main objective of this study was to determine whether hope for success mediates the relationship between personality and goal orientation in high performance and recreational athletes. The cross-sectional study included 289 high performance and recreational athletes of various sports (age: M = 20.34, SD = 1.86). To examine personality, we used the Big Five IPIP-BFM-20 questionnaire. To assess hope for success, we used the Hope for Success Questionnaire. The Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) was employed to examine goal orientation. Hope for success significantly mediates the relationships between conscientiousness, extraversion, emotional stability, intellect, and task goal orientation in sport. Higher levels of these personality traits are related to athletes' higher hope for success, which, in turn, is positively related to their task orientation. Personality traits may underpin the hope for success that develops from childhood. This, in turn, appears to be an important component on which, combined with the positive interaction and support from coaches, a task goal orientation beneficial to sport can be shaped in athletes.

An initial exploration of fatigue as a predictor of quality of life in transplant athletes competing at national and international events

ABSTRACT Supporting organ transplant recipients’ quality of life after surgery continues to be of interest to health researchers and applied practitioners. However, literature and guidance on the factors linked to quality of life in transplant recipient athletes remains underreported. This study aimed to identify significant predictors of quality of life in an international sample of organ transplant recipient athletes (N = 99, Mage = 53 ± 14). Adopting a cross-sectional design, we collected the study data during the 2019 World Transplant Games which consisted of demographic items, health, and physical activity-related measures (i.e., task and ego orientation, fatigue severity, assessment of physical activity, physical activity enjoyment). Predictor variables were summarised into three categories: demographic factors, sport-related factors, and levels of fatigue with physical and mental quality of life functioning as the outcome variables. Hierarchical regression analyses exposed fatigue to exert a significant negative influence on both mental and physical quality of life perceptions explaining 49% and 64% of the variance in these variables respectively. Routine measurement and monitoring of transplant athletes’ level of fatigue in sport settings are recommended due to the negative bearing on quality of life that may be a potential barrier to sport participation and enjoyment.

Perception of success among adults practicing various fighting arts.

Goal orientations, which influence learning and motivation, are categorized into task orientation (focused on skill development and personal mastery) and ego orientation (focused on outperforming others and gaining recognition). This study aims to explore how different demographics perceive success in martial arts. The research questions focused on identifying correlations between perceptions of success and demographic factors: (1) sex, (2) age, (3) type of martial art practiced, and (4) nationality. These factors were examined to understand their impact on success perceptions among martial arts practitioners. The study utilized the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) to gather data from 268 participants-142 from Poland and 126 from Ukraine-selected through voluntary participation. Statistical analyses included standard deviation, coefficient of variability, Spearman's rank correlation, and ANOVA for multifactor analysis. The study revealed a weak correlation between the type of martial art practiced and perception of success (r s = 0.38), indicating that the style of martial art has limited influence on success perception. There was a weak correlation between nationality and perception of success (r s = 0.20), suggesting cultural factors do not play a role. A strong correlation was found between age and perception of success (r s = 0.80), highlighting how perceptions evolve with age. A significant correlation was also found between sex and perception of success (r s = 0.90), which may reflect broader cultural patterns influenced by globalization. While the study identifies important demographic correlations affecting perceptions of success in martial arts, the findings are constrained by the sample size and demographic distribution, which limits the generalizability of the results. Further research with a larger and more diverse sample is recommended to deepen understanding.

Research on the Relationship Between Ski and Snowboard Athletes’ Fear of Failure and Their Sport Enjoyment and Goal Orientation

Enjoying sport is a critical factor in understanding the sources of athletes’ enthusiasm for sport, creating enjoyable sport experiences for young athletes, maintaining their participation in sport, and setting specific goals. It is well known that fear of failure is amongst the main motivational problems on the path to achieving set goals. The inability to eliminate the fear of failure can lead to a decline in the level of fulfilment, satisfaction, and pleasure, interfering with the achievement of goals set by the athlete for a specific purpose. From this point of view, the aim of our study is to examine the effects of ski and snowboard athletes’ enjoyment of sport and goal orientation on their fear of failure in terms of various variables. This study is quantitative research in which the correlational survey model was applied. The Sources of Sports Enjoyment Scale (SSEE) adapted to Turkish by Çimen and Gürbüz (2008), the Task and Ego Orientation Scale (TEOS) adapted to Turkish by Toros (2004), and The Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory translated into Turkish by Kahraman and Sungur (2016) were used. The population of the study consists of ski and snowboard athletes in Turkey, while the sample group consists of a total of 124 ski and snowboard athletes 72 of whom are male and 25 of whom are female randomly selected from various ski clubs. Significant differences were found in all sub-scales of the participants’ gender variable and sports failure scale, and in both sub-scales of participation level variable and goal orientation. Positive moderate linear relationships were observed between sources of goal orientation, ego orientation and enjoyment of sport, and between ego orientation and goal orientation. Regarding the Failure in Sports scale, the female participants who regularly attended the trainings had, on average, higher scores on the "Participation Level" variable and the "Goal Orientation" scale. As the sources of sports enjoyment increase, goal orientation and ego orientation also increase. As ego orientation increases, goal orientation also increases.Keywords: Fear of Failure, Goal Orientation, Sports, Enjoyment

“Is it beneficial to stress grades to my child?” – Relationships between parental attitudes towards academic achievement, motivation, academic self-concept and academic achievement in adolescents

In this study we analyse the relations of parental attitudes towards academic achievement (process-centred vs. performance-centred) with self-representations, motivational orientations and academic achievement. Participants were 498 students attending 7th and 9th grades. To collect data we used a self-concept scale (Peixoto &amp; Almeida, 1999), a scale of motivational orientations (Skaalvik, 1997), and a scale to assess parental attitudes towards academic performance (An-tunes &amp; Fontaine, 2003). Correlation analysis showed positive associations between processes centred attitudes and academic self-concept, self-esteem, task orientation, and academic achievement. Performance centred attitudes were negatively correlated with academic self-concept, self-esteem and academic achievement, and positively related to self-enhancing ego orientation, self-defeating ego orientation and avoidance orientation. Structural equation modelling revealed different paths, in the relationship between parental attitudes and academic achievement, for process centred attitudes and for performance centred attitudes. Results in this study support the idea that the perception of parental attitudes centred in the process are related to positive outcomes while parental attitudes centred on performance are related to less positive outcomes. Finally, data in this study converges with the existing literature that highlights the mediating role of individual characteristics such as self-concept and motivational orientations in the relationship between parental attitudes and academic achievement.

Relationships among the achievement goals, social goals, and sports ethics of young Chinese athletes

Competitive sports shape character and moral development, but views differ on the impact of excessive competitiveness on sports ethics. We used an integrated and microlevel approach to examine the relationships among the achievement goals, social goals, and sports ethics of 268 young Chinese athletes. Results of a self-evaluation survey showed that task orientation was positively associated with respect for social conventions as well as respect for rules and officials, and was negatively associated with instrumental aggression. Ego orientation was negatively associated with respect for social conventions, respect for rules and officials, and respect for opponents. Social affiliation was positively associated with respect for social conventions, respect for rules and officials, and respect for opponents. Social status was negatively associated with respect for rules and officials, and positively associated with instrumental aggression. Finally, social recognition was negatively associated with respect for social conventions and respect for opponents. Our findings provide insight into the mechanistic motivations behind ethical behaviors, offering theoretical guidance for promoting sports ethics among young athletes.

14-18 Yaş Yüzücülerde Başarı Algısı ile Antrenör Davranışı Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi: Ege Bölgesi Örneği

The aim of this study to examine the relationship between the perception of success and coaching behavior of 14-18 age swimming athletes living in Aegean region. A total of 114 swimmers participated voluntarily. The "Children’s Version of the Perception of Success Questionare" (POSQ-CH) and “Coach Behavior Scale for Sport” (CBS-S) was used. The analysis of the data was evaluated with the SPSS. POSQ-CH score was 49.03 (very high); sub-dimensions, "Ego Orientation" (EO) score is 22.17 (high) and the "Task Orientation" (TO) score is 26.85 (very high). CBS-S score is 262.35 (quite high); sub-dimensions scores are between 23.43 (very low)-50.95 (very high). According to gender, a significant difference in POSQ-CH and GO sub-dimension and TS, PR and NR sub-dimension scores of CBS-S (p&amp;lt;0.05). Similarly, a significant difference in the EO sub-dimension according to coach gender, in the POSQ-CH and GO according to swimming style and in the EO and TS according to sport age (p&amp;lt;0.05). No correlation between POSQ-CH and CBS-S and its sub-dimensions; however, a positive and moderate relationship between the closeness to team captain score and CBS-S. It was determined that the swimmers in the relevant age range had high perception of achievement and perception of coach behavior, and the athletes were more goal-oriented. It can be said that the coach's physical-mental preparation, positive behavior, providing technical skill learning, directing the athlete correctly in terms of goal expectation, helping to provide appropriate and optimum competition strategy and negative behavior are not related to the swimmers' perception of success.

Examination of associations across transformational teacher leadership, motivational orientation, enjoyment, and boredom in physical education students

Previous research has highlighted positive associations between teacher transformational leadership and student enjoyment in school. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding the mediating effect that motivational orientation has on the relationships between transformational leadership and enjoyment in physical education classes. Given that an affinity for physical education fosters healthy behaviors among adolescents outside of school, this study explores the relationships between teachers’ transformational leadership style and enjoyment experienced by students in physical education, examining the mediating role played by motivational orientation in these relationships. A total sample of 478 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (mean = 14.55; standard deviation = 1.11) participated. To assess the study variables, the Transformational Teaching Questionnaire, the Task and Ego Orientation in Sports Questionnaire, and the Sport Satisfaction Instrument in Physical Education were used. The findings from the applied structural equation model revealed a significant and positive relationship between teachers’ transformational leadership style and students’ perceived satisfaction, while negative relationships were observed with feelings of boredom. Additionally, positive connections were established between task orientation and enjoyment, along with negative associations with boredom. Indirect effects were also found between a transformational leadership style and both enjoyment and boredom, mediated by the variable task motivational orientation. These results underscore the importance of evaluating both students’ motivational factors and their perceptions of teachers, since they may interact with each other to determine their school satisfaction. Consequently, teachers may need to modify their behavior to improve their interactions with students and increase the chances of adherence to physical activity.

Tracking emotions from song lyrics: Analyzing 30 years of K-pop hits.

Emotions that are shared by a large number of people could broadly impact affective experiences at the individual level. Here, we used text mining on popular song lyrics-a cultural product that has been suggested to mirror emotions that many members of a society value and prefer-to track the changes in emotions over time. Morpheme frequency analysis and structural topic modeling on 2,962 hit K-pop songs from 1990 to 2019 showed converging evidence for increased positive emotional content and decreased negative emotional content embedded within the lyrics. This pattern of temporal shift in emotions aligned with rapid changes in South Korea in the past 30 years, notably a rise in individualism and ego orientation in a traditionally collectivistic culture, as well as economic growth. More generally, this study illustrates a strategy for tracking emotions that people value and prefer from large natural language data, supplementing existing methods such as self-reported surveys and laboratory experiments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychometric Properties of the Polish Version of the Sports Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2).

The main aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Sports Anxiety scale-2 (SAS-2). The study covered 396 athletes, ages ranging from 18 years to 35 years. The task and ego orientation in sport questionnaire (TEOSQ) and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used for validation of the scale. Cronbach's alpha for the somatic anxiety subscale was 0.88, for the worry subscale was 0.95, and for the concentration disruption was 0.86, respectively. The three-factor model and hierarchical model fits perfectly as CFI > 0.95, TLI > 0.95, and RMSEA < 0.08. Satisfactory results in measurement invariance show the use of the tool for any gender or athlete (high-performance, recreational) group. The internal consistency (α = 0.86-0.95) and the test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.87-0.90) were satisfactory. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between task orientation and total anxiety along with its three subscales, and a weak positive correlation between ego orientation and worry subscale. Meanwhile, a weak to moderate positive correlation was exhibited between total anxiety and its subscales with the STAI-T and STAI-S. Additionally, female, recreational, and female recreational athletes' groups had weak negative associations between worry and concentration disruption trait anxiety and task orientation, and a weak positive association between somatic anxiety and ego orientation.

Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire: A Mokken Scale Analysis

Athletes’ goal orientations have been associated with a wide array of sport-related behaviors, thoughts, and perceptions. The two main goal orientations defined in the achievement goal theory framework are task and ego orientations. The task and ego orientation questionnaire (TEOSQ) was developed to assess levels of task and ego goal orientations in sport-related settings and is widely used in research in the field of sport psychology. Its use in research rests on the assumption that sum scores of the TEOSQ can be used to order individuals by their levels of the two goal orientations. In this study, the soundness of this assumption is evaluated using Mokken scale analysis (MSA). TEOSQ responses from 749 football players were used in the analysis. Both the monotone homogeneity model and the double monotonicity model were fitted. The scalability coefficients for both the task and ego orientation subscales were 0.45 indicating a moderately good scalability. Invariant item ordering did not hold for either of the two subscales. There is definite room for improvement in the TEOSQ. Several improvement suggestions are made and further research directions are discussed.

Social Comparison in Healthy Adult Peloton Bikers: How Visual Display of Exercise Data Affects Performance

UniversityIn group exercise settings, individuals compare their performance against others, a process called social comparison. Although social comparison in laboratory-based exercise settings has been investigated, little is known about how exercising with others can boost motivation to perform in a non-laboratory group exercise setting with data display. Peloton bikers (N = 26) completed the same 30-minute cycling session in three conditions: group data display, individual data display, and no data display. Participants’ exercise performance (i.e., heart rate, calories burned, and distance cycled) was assessed for each condition. Ego orientation and social comparison were investigated as predictors of performance. Results indicated that in the group data condition, participants had higher heart rates (p = .02), calories burned (p = .03), and longer distance cycled (p &lt; .001) compared to the no data condition. Positive correlations emerged between social comparison and calories burned (r = .52), social comparison and distance (r = .45), and calories burned and distance (r = .75). Additionally, there was a negative correlation between ego orientation and HR (r = -.45), and between task and ego orientations (r = -.47). Ego orientation explained 19% of the variance in HR, and social comparison accounted for 20% and 27% of the variance in distance and calories burned, respectively. These results suggest that social comparison, ego orientation, and visually displayed data can all improve exercise performance. This study is bridging the gap between research and practice by providing further evidence of the application of the motivational effect of visually displayed exercise data in a group exercise setting. Specifically, fitness professionals can utilize the visual presentation of exercise data to increase their participant’s engagement, while being cognizant of the risk of over-exertion.

Physical education motivational climate, on the achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation of students: a multilevel approach

ABSTRACT This study examined whether the perceived motivational climate was associated with students’ achievement goals and intrinsic motivation, from a multilevel (i.e., individual- and school-level) perspective within the Physical Education context. The sample was composed of 9855 students aged 10–18 (M age = 13.96 years; SD age = 1.97 years) who belong to 237 different teachers from seven European countries. We used measures for teacher’s motivational climate, achievement goals, and intrinsic motivation. After testing for cross-country invariance, results from the mediated structural equation model showed that partial mediation was the most suitable solution. Predictions from the accepted model supported theoretical predictions, suggesting a strong positive mediating role of task orientation between achievement goals and intrinsic motivation, while the role of ego orientation remained more ambiguous. Our findings also highlight the relevance of students’ individual experiences in shaping their perception of the emphasised motivational climate, as well as reveal an additive effect in the prediction from task orientation to intrinsic motivation due to cluster belongingness. We discuss these results with other variables that might affect students’ perceptions such as teacher-student relationship and motivational contagion and encourage future research to keep studying the construction of the students’ perception of the teacher’s emphasised motivational climate from a multilevel perspective.

Examination of Student Cross-Country Runners’ Task and Ego Orientations, Challenge and Threat Levels

The aim of this research is to examine the level of task and ego orientations, challenge and threat experiences of student cross-country runners as well as investigate their dispositional differences in goal orientations, challenge and threat levels according to demographic variables, and the link between ego orientations and challenge and threat experiences. 118 student-athletes voluntarily participated in this research. Since the data were not normally distributed, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for group comparisons, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for pairwise comparisons from nonparametric test methods. Results showed no significant differences in the task and ego orientations, challenge and threat levels of the participants in terms of their gender and whether they had a club license (p &gt; 0.05). Significant differences, however, were found in the participants’ task and ego orientation levels (p &lt; 0.05), while there were no significant differences in challenge and threat levels (p &gt; 0.05) in terms of the department studied. There were significant differences in the participants’ task and ego orientations and challenge levels in terms of duration to be an athlete (p &lt; 0.05) but there was no significant difference found in the participants’ threat level (p &gt; 0.05). Overall, the results of this research provided valuable information to sports psychologists, managers, and coaches at universities to guide efforts to improve student athletes’ performance.