The present study explored motivational orientation of 12 females (age 9 - 18) who participated in figure skating. The hypothesis used was that competitive skaters, with more demands on their time and finances, would more often exhibit an avoidance of failure motivation when participating in sport. This hypothesis was chosen to address the high burnout rates that are exhibited by child athletes at the elite level.
To determine the results of the study, skaters were administered the Achievement Motivations Scale for Sporting Environments developed by Brent Rushall and Randy Fox in 2000. The scale asked 28 questions to which four response alternatives were provided. These were: always, frequently, sometimes or never. The scores that were generated indicated whether the respondent had a Motivation for Success orientation or a Motivation to Avoid Failure orientation.
To analyze the results of the survey, a Pearson's Correlation was employed. The results determined that there was not a statistical significance between the motivation of the skaters and the amount of time skated per week. It was also concluded that the mean scores for Motivation for Success and Motivation to Avoid Failure indicated that most of these skaters continue participating with a motive to achieve success.
","abstract_html":"<p>The present study explored motivational orientation of 12 females (age 9 - 18) who participated in figure skating. The hypothesis used was that competitive skaters, with more demands on their time and finances, would more often exhibit an avoidance of failure motivation when participating in sport. This hypothesis was chosen to address the high burnout rates that are exhibited by child athletes at the elite level.</p> <p>To determine the results of the study, skaters were administered the Achievement Motivations Scale for Sporting Environments developed by Brent Rushall and Randy Fox in 2000. The scale asked 28 questions to which four response alternatives were provided. These were: always, frequently, sometimes or never. The scores that were generated indicated whether the respondent had a Motivation for Success orientation or a Motivation to Avoid Failure orientation.</p> <p>To analyze the results of the survey, a Pearson's Correlation was employed. The results determined that there was not a statistical significance between the motivation of the skaters and the amount of time skated per week. It was also concluded that the mean scores for Motivation for Success and Motivation to Avoid Failure indicated that most of these skaters continue participating with a motive to achieve success.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pfeffer, Jennifer L."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A. in School Psychology","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Educational Services and Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Klanderman, John","Dihoff, Roberta"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2003,"date_issued":"2003-05-06T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2003-05-06T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:14:25Z","subjects":["Skating; Women skaters","Educational Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1356","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Klanderman, John","Dihoff, Roberta"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pfeffer, Jennifer L."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-05-10T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Services and Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. in School Psychology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Skating; Women skaters","Educational Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1356"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The present study explored motivational orientation of 12 females (age 9 - 18) who participated in figure skating. The hypothesis used was that competitive skaters, with more demands on their time and finances, would more often exhibit an avoidance of failure motivation when participating in sport. This hypothesis was chosen to address the high burnout rates that are exhibited by child athletes at the elite level.
To determine the results of the study, skaters were administered the Achievement Motivations Scale for Sporting Environments developed by Brent Rushall and Randy Fox in 2000. The scale asked 28 questions to which four response alternatives were provided. These were: always, frequently, sometimes or never. The scores that were generated indicated whether the respondent had a Motivation for Success orientation or a Motivation to Avoid Failure orientation.
To analyze the results of the survey, a Pearson's Correlation was employed. The results determined that there was not a statistical significance between the motivation of the skaters and the amount of time skated per week. It was also concluded that the mean scores for Motivation for Success and Motivation to Avoid Failure indicated that most of these skaters continue participating with a motive to achieve success.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The competitive female skater: what motivates her?"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Klanderman, John","Dihoff, Roberta"],"dc:creator":["Pfeffer, Jennifer L."],"dc:date.available":["2016-05-10T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The present study explored motivational orientation of 12 females (age 9 - 18) who participated in figure skating. The hypothesis used was that competitive skaters, with more demands on their time and finances, would more often exhibit an avoidance of failure motivation when participating in sport. This hypothesis was chosen to address the high burnout rates that are exhibited by child athletes at the elite level.
To determine the results of the study, skaters were administered the Achievement Motivations Scale for Sporting Environments developed by Brent Rushall and Randy Fox in 2000. The scale asked 28 questions to which four response alternatives were provided. These were: always, frequently, sometimes or never. The scores that were generated indicated whether the respondent had a Motivation for Success orientation or a Motivation to Avoid Failure orientation.
To analyze the results of the survey, a Pearson's Correlation was employed. The results determined that there was not a statistical significance between the motivation of the skaters and the amount of time skated per week. It was also concluded that the mean scores for Motivation for Success and Motivation to Avoid Failure indicated that most of these skaters continue participating with a motive to achieve success.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/1356"],"dc:subject":["Skating; Women skaters","Educational Psychology"],"dc:title":["The competitive female skater: what motivates her?"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Services and Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. in School Psychology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:14:25Z"}