Self-efficacy moderates but collective efficacy mediates between motivational climate and athletes' well-being

BACKGROUND

The relationship between perceived motivational climate and athletes' well-being may depend on personal resource factors such as self-efficacy beliefs which are expected to shield individuals from negative outcomes when environmental factors may not suffice to secure positive outcomes. We explored the roles of self-efficacy and collective efficacy by investigating whether they operated either as moderators or as mediators within this relationship.

METHODS

Study 1 was carried out among 56 athletes (basketball, volleyball, or soccer players), with a two-week follow-up, whereas Study 2 was conducted among 113 soccer players, with three measurement points (baseline, two-month follow-up, and nine-month follow-up). Their satisfaction with sport skills and performance served as an index of well-being.

RESULTS

The findings of Study 1 indicated that general self-efficacy moderated the relationship between task-oriented motivational climate and satisfaction. Task-oriented climate predicted satisfaction only among athletes with low self-efficacy. Study 2 showed that self-efficacy moderated the link between task-oriented motivational climate and satisfaction at nine-month follow-up. In contrast, collective efficacy at two-month follow-up mediated the relationship between perceived motivational climate at baseline and satisfaction at nine-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Athletes are at risk for lower well-being if they perceive a negative task-involving climate and if they harbor either low general self-efficacy or low personal-barrier self-efficacy.

Competence and Satisfaction in Occupational Performance Among a Sample of University Students: An Exploratory Study

Success at university may be influenced by concerns with occupation and occupational performance. To understand occupations of concern and occupational performance among a sample (N = 144) of university students in the Midwest United States, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure was administered. Socially related (n = 103), academic-related (n = 75), and work-related (n = 64) occupations were the three most frequently reported occupational concerns. Time management (n = 79) was the most frequent person-level concern. Mean self-perceived competence in occupations was 29.83 (SD = 7.18) out of 50 and mean performance satisfaction was 26.80 (SD = 8.01) out of 50. There were no differences in occupational performance across gender, race/ethnicity, class standing, living environment, or work status. However, within participants, there was a significant and clinically relevant difference between performance satisfaction and self-perceived competence in occupation, t(143) = 7.052, p < .0005, d = 0.58. Students have varied occupations that they find important, and future research should explore how occupational performance and performance satisfaction influence university success.

Does Goal Orientation Modulate Satisfaction with Cognitive Performance in Different Age Groups?

OBJECTIVES

The current experiment tested the causal effect of goal orientation on subjective satisfaction with performance on a cognitive task.

METHODS

A sample of N = 231 young, middle-aged, and older adults (21 - 79 years) completed a dot-memory task in one of three goal-orientation conditions aiming for improvement, maintenance, or avoidance of decline in performance.

RESULTS

Bayesian analyses showed that in all age groups goal orientation influenced actual performance, but did not affect perceived performance or performance satisfaction. Performance satisfaction was positively correlated with perceived performance, but not with actual performance.

DISCUSSION

The findings suggest that whether goal orientation benefits older adults' subjective well-being might depend on (a) the goal content (previous research targeted personal goals) or (b) whether it enhances their perception of the status quo (and thus reduces the discrepancy between actual and desired states). This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of goal orientation in subjective well-being across adulthood.