Achievement goals, thoughts about intense physical activity, and exerted effort: a mediational analysis

Purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of preference and tolerance for strenuous physical activity as well as self-reported participation in intense (strenuous) exercise, on physical performance as a function of the hierarchical model of achievement motivation framework. Participants were 286 men (n = 155) and women (n = 131) enrolled in their university's fitness and wellness courses. They completed appropriate survey measures, as well as a maximal shuttle run performance. The results indicated that the performance-approach goal mediated strenuous physical activity history, and preference for strenuous physical activity on shuttle run performance among for men, but not women (p < .05). The results suggest that future research is needed to examine goal saliency using the hierarchical model of achievement motivation.
Achievement behavior is defined as exerted effort or behavioral intensity, persistence of such effort, choice of actions (e.g., choosing task difficulty level), and performance-based outcomes (Ames, 1992; Dweck, 1986; Nicholls, [...]