Dispositional goal orientations, motivational climate, and psychobiosocial states in youth sport

The objective of the study was to examine the relation of individuals’ dispositional goal orientation (task/ego) and perceived sport motivational climate (mastery/performance) to pleasant or unpleasant psychobiosocial (PBS) states (i.e., emotion, cognition, motivation, bodily reactions, movement, performance, and communication) as assumed by the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) model. Participants were 473 Italian youngsters (217 girls and 256 boys, aged 13–14 years) who took part in individual or team sports. The assessment was conducted through a goal orientation questionnaire, a motivational climate inventory, and pleasant and unpleasant PBS descriptors. Moderated hierarchical regression analysis showed that task orientation and a perceived mastery-involving climate were related positively to most components of pleasant PBS states. Task orientation was also negatively associated with most of the unpleasant states. Ego orientation was positively associated with the cognitive, bodily, movement, and performance components of pleasant PBS states, whereas performance climate was positively related to most of the unpleasant states. Interaction results provided additional insights into the interplay of achievement goals, motivational climate, and PBS states. Overall findings supported the feasibility and utility of adopting the IZOF framework to examine achievement goal theory predictions in youth sport.