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Abstract
This study investigated associations between achievement goal orientations and reported psychological skill use in sport. Five hundred seventy three elite young athletes completed the Perceptions of Success Questionnaire (POSQ; CitationRoberts, Treasure, & Balague, 1998) and the Test of Performance Strategies (TOPS; CitationThomas, Murphy, & Hardy, 1999). Cluster analysis revealed three distinct goal profile groups: Cluster 1—Higher-task/Moderate-ego (n = 260); Cluster 2—Lower-task/Higher-ego (n = 120); and Cluster 3—Moderate-task/Lower-ego (n = 119). A MANOVA revealed a significant multivariate effect, Pillai's Trace = .11, F(16, 1076) = 3.75, p = .001, η2 = .05, with post hoc tests determining that higher-task/moderate-ego athletes reported using significantly more Imagery, Goal setting, and positive Self-talk skills when compared with Lower-task/Higher-ego and/or Moderate-task/Lower-ego athletes. These findings are discussed with respect to the potential role that achievement goals play in the application and development of psychological skills in youth sport.
