THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF ABILITY AND ACHIEVEMENT GOALS AND THEIR RELATIONS IN PHYSICAL-EDUCATION

This study examined the development of self-perceptions of ability and achievement goals and their relationships in physical education. Thre e hundred and eight students in 4th, 8th, and 11th grades completed qu estionnaires assessing their goal orientations, conceptions of ability , and perceived competence in physical education. Analyses assessing g rade-related changes in conceptions of ability and achievement goals s howed that as the students progressed from grades 4 through 11, they w ere more likely to: (a) interpret ability as a stable capacity that ma y limit or increase the effect of effort on performance and (b) become ego-oriented. Analyses assessing relationships between variables of i nterest across grade level revealed that achievement goals were relate d to different conceptions of ability students' self-ratings were sign ificantly positively correlated to their teachers' ratings of their co mpetence, and no consistent relationships emerged between achievement goals and perceived competence.