What is a GOAL ORIENTATION?

GOAL ORIENTATION refers to an athlete’s motivations and beliefs about personal improvements. Athletes with a strong GOAL ORIENTATION are not motivated by being the best on the team or winning the admiration of coaches, parents, or friends. Instead, they are motivated by experiencing real progress is their mastery of skills and knowledge needed to perform successfully.

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INTERPRETING THE GOAL ORIENTATION SCORE ON THE MSA

Athletes with a high level of GOAL ORIENTATION gain satisfaction from knowing they are progressing in their competence and do not often compare themselves to others. Athletes with a strong GOAL ORIENTATION are more motivated by personal improvements in their skills and performance than by obtaining external rewards and recognition, nor are they motivated by being the best on the team or winning the admiration of coaches, parents, or friends. Instead they are motivated by experiencing real progress is their mastery of skills and knowledge needed to perform successfully. Athletes with a strong GOAL ORIENTATION are not very stressed by a setback as long as the setback results in improving skills and learning something new.

WHAT CAN INFLUENCE THE GOAL ORIENTATION SCORE?

A strong GOAL ORIENTATION enhances Effort, Goal Setting and Goal Implementation, and Task Confidence and GOAL ORIENTATION enhance each other. GOAL ORIENTATION diminishes the negative aspects of low scores on Self-Worth. GOAL ORIENTATION is diminished by low scores on Personal Control and Open to Feedback.

TIPS FOR ATHLETES

What is the evidence for and against the presence of a strong Mastery Approach? Is your MSA GOAL ORIENTATION score high or low? What are your GOAL ORIENTATION BITEs?

Make a list of your BITEs when you are thinking about what, beyond a win, you want to achieve in a game or competition or during the next week or two of practice and training.
When setting and working to achieve goals, it is better to have goals and be motivated by a desire for personal improvement – being better than you were yesterday – than by a desire to obtain, for example, external rewards and recognition.

TIPS FOR COACHES

Do your athletes have a strong GOAL ORIENTATION? Are they motivated to improve their skills & knowledge or to be the best on the team? Are you a good role model for strong GOAL ORIENTATION?

As a coach, be aware of your own GOAL ORIENTATION. Do you tend to set goals and give performance feedback that focuses on an athlete’s specific behavior and personal improvement (a GOAL ORIENTATION) or do you compare athletes’ skills and performance to other athletes (a non-GOAL ORIENTATION)?
When formally setting goals with your athletes for games, competitions, practice, or training sessions, set GOAL ORIENTATION goals (see Goal Setting).

ATHLETES

When I set a goal, do I usually follow through and implement a plan to reach that goal?

Do I layout a specific plan to reach a goal?

COACHES

Do my athletes believe in and adapt the goals put forward by the team?

Do I recognize when I may need to suggest modifying an existing goal for an athlete?