Date of Award

Winter 2006

Project Type

Thesis

Program or Major

Kinesiology: Sport Studies

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

Heather Barber

Abstract

As socializers, parents provide and interpret experiences which ultimately influence achievement beliefs and behaviors in their children. Eccles' Expectancy-Value model (Eccles & Harold, 1991), the model of parental influences on motivation and achievement (Eccles et. al., 1998) and Achievement Goal Theory (Nicholls, 1989) provide the theoretical framework for this study. The investigation explored the relationships between athlete goal orientations, perceptions of parental self-handicapping, perceptions of parental goal orientations and athlete tendency to employ self-handicapping. Adolescent soccer athletes (N=134) completed the 14-item Self-Handicapping Scale (SHS) and the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ), as well as adapted versions of these instruments to assess perceptions of their parents. Results of canonical correlations and hierarchical regression analyses indicate that athletes are more likely to self-handicap if they have low task orientations and perceive their parents as self-handicappers. Also, athletes' goal orientations and use of self-handicapping emulated those of their parents.

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