Date of Graduation

2000

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

Committee Chair

Edward Etzel

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between trait anxiety and goal orientation in starting and non-starting college football players. One hundred and fifty-two volunteer male participants from Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne and Fairmont State took part in the study. The sample consisted of three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football divisions (i.e., IAA, II, III). All participants completed the Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS; Smith, Smoll, & Shultz, 1990), the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ; Duda & Nicholls, 1992), and a Demographic Questionnaire. A 2 X 2 MANOVA and three 2 X 2 ANOVAs were calculated to determine if differences existed between playing status and goal orientation on the SAS subscales. Results revealed that players who scored higher in ego orientation than task orientation did not experience more anxiety in competitive situations. Also, there were no observed statistically significant differences between the starters and non-starters on any of the SAS subscales. This study does not support Kroll’s (1979) notion that more skillful individuals experience less anxiety than lower skilled individuals. Future research studies examining the relationships between goal orientation, trait anxiety and football are offered.

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