The Competitive Goal Effectiveness Paradox Revisited: Examining the Goal Practices of Prospective Olympic Athletes

Abstract

The experience and skill of prospective Olympic athletes make them a potentially valuable resource to better understand goal effectiveness. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the nature of perceived goal effectiveness within an elite athlete sample. Participants were 338 athletes (M age = 24.6 years; SD = 6.9 years) from 12 sports who completed an extensive goal-setting survey. Four separate questionnaires assessing perceived goal frequency, effectiveness, commitment, and barriers were factor analyzed to identify relevant dimensions. Perceived goal-effectiveness dimensions were then used to cluster athletes into four profile groups, and differences among the groups were examined on goal frequency, commitment, barriers, self-confidence, and career success. Multifaceted goal-setters scored highest on all variables, goal nonbelievers were lowest, and disillusioned process and competitive goal setters fell in between these extremes. Future directions for goal-effectiveness research are also recommended.

Notes

1. Because our proxy for career athletic success (number of elite teams made) is moderately correlated with years of sport experience (r = .59), we also ran a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) with sport confidence and career athletic success as the dependent variables and years of experience as a covariate. The multivariate results closely paralleled the MANOVA reported in the text (without years of experience as a co-variate). Wilks’ Lamba = .81, F(6, 578) = 10.85, p < .001, eta² = .10.