Achievement goals in aïkido and judo: A comparative study among beginner and experienced practitioners

The purpose of this study was to determine whether achievement goal orientations (task and ego) vary as a function of the type of fighting sport that is practiced (competitive: judo vs. non-competitive: aïkido), of the level of experience (beginner vs. experienced), and of gender. Children and adult practitioners of these sports were asked to respond to a French version of the Perception of Success Questionnaire (Roberts & Balague, 1991). MANOVAs and follow-up ANOVAs revealed that in the children's group, aïkidokas proved to be generally more task-oriented than judokas, experienced aïkidokas were less ego-oriented than beginner aïkidokas and experienced judokas, and experienced judokas were more ego-oriented than beginner judokas. In the adult group, experienced aïkidokas were curiously both less task- and ego-oriented than beginner aïkidokas and experienced judokas. No effects involving gender reached significance. These findings stress the compatibility of a competitive context and task orientation.