Abstract des Autors

This study explored the cultural and developmental generalizability of relationships between achievement orientations and participation in youth sport. Ewing's (1981) study of high school sport in the United States, based on Maehr and Nicholl's (1980) approach to the cross-cultural study of achievement motivation, was paralleled with an English sample (N=830) and extended to include middle school subjects and nonschool sport. Sample-specific achievement orientations for each age group discriminated between competitors, dropouts and non-participants in both school and nonschool sport. Task-oriented motivation was the primary discriminator in the younger age group, but an ability-orientation also became salient in nonschool sport. Ability-oriented motivation was the major discriminator in the older sample but, in contrast with Ewing dropouts in nonschool sport were significantly less ability-oriented than competitors, and dropouts in school sport were significantly more intrinsic and task-oriented than competitors. Results are dicussed in relation to the development of achievement motives and their interaction with perceived opportunities for goal attainment in different environments. Verf.-Referat