The effect of adolescent athletes’ achievement goal orientation and perception of error on their sport-confidence

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of achievement goal orientation and perception of error on the sport-confidence of adolescent athletes and the moderating effect of perception of error in a competitive sports environment to provide basic data for improving the sport-confidence of adolescent athletes. The subjects of the study were middle and high school athletes (N = 300, Males = 218, Females = 82) registered in institutions under the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. Results revealed that athletes’ achievement goal orientation positively predicted sport-confidence and these pathways were moderated by athletes’ perception of error. The implications for athletes and researchers from those results are discussed.