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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 77-3052 F0DER0, Joseph Michael, 1932- AN ANALYSIS OF ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AND MOTIVATIONAL TENDENCIES AMONG MEN AMD WOMEN COLLEGIATE GYMNASTS. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Ed.D., 1976 Education, physical Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 AN ANALYSIS OF ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION AND MOTIVATIONAL TENDENCIES AMONG MEN AND WOMEN COLLEGIATE GYMNASTS by Joseph M. Fodero A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Greensboro 1976 Approved by APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dissertation Adviser Committee Members i*-k Date of Acceptance by Committee ii FODERO, JOSEPH MICHAEL. An Analysis of Achievement Motivation and Motivational Tendencies Among Men and Women Collegiate Gymnasts. (1976) Directed by: Dr. Celeste Ulrich. Pp. 171. The purpose of this study was to analyse the levels of achieve­ ment motivation and the motivational tendencies of male and female collegiate gymnasts. Three broad questions were posed: 1) What differences, if any, are there in the levels of achievement motivation among and between male and female gymnasts classified as high-level and lower-level performers on high-performing collegiate competitive teams and measured by the Lynn Achievement Motivation Questionnaire? 2) What differences, if any, are there among and between male and female gymnasts with respect to their motivational tendencies of a) mastery of skill, b) dynamic interaction, and c) self-regard as revealed from their individual sport motivation sorts via the Berlin Q Sort? and 3) What is the relationship, if any, between male and female gymnasts' motivational tendency toward mastery of skill when adjusting for differences in their scores for achievement motivation? This investigation involved the voluntary cooperation of 60 men and 60 women from nationally ranked collegiate gymnastics teams throughout the United States. Subjects were classified as high-level and lower-level performers on the basis of their mean gymnastics per­ formance scores for the season falling, respectively, to the right and left of the medians for the distributions of the men's and women's scores. Thus, two male and two female groups of 30 each were obtained. Collection of the data for ascertaining scores in achievement motivation and the motivational tendencies was done by the writer and the coaches administering the two inventories. The data on gymnastics performance scores were collected by the writer. Analysis of the data for determining the results to questions one and two was made with a 2 x 2 factorial analysis of variance. An analysis of covariance was made to determine the results of question three. Significance levels at the .01 and .05 critical values were used as criteria to illustrate the range of differences in the results of the analyses. The results of the analysis for question one showed that no significant differences in levels of achievement motivation were evi­ dent between the sexes, between the performance levels of the gymnasts within or between the sexes, or for the combined effect of sex and performance level. The results of the analysis for question two showed that for each of the three motivational tendencies, no signif­ icant differences were to be found among the subjects with respect to sex, performance level, or the combined effect of sex and performance level. The results of the covariance analysis for question three showed that the variation in mastery of skill for either sex could not be attributed to achievement motivation. Hence, no evidence of a significant relationship existed between achievement motivation and mastery of skill for these subjects. The covariance analysis did show 1) the men and women gymnasts to be similar in level of achievement motivation and 2) a similar, but low correlation between mastery of skill and achievement motivation for either sex. In addition to the similarity found in levels of achievement motivation of these subjects, a consistency in similarity was revealed in the analysis of their motivational tendencies. The same rank order (highest to lowest) prevailed for each of the four groups: 1) self- regard, 2) mastery of skill, and 3) dynamic interaction. The main conclusions drawn from this study are these: 1) men and women gymnasts of high-performing teams are not differentiated by their performance levels in their need to achieve or in their motiva­ tional tendencies; 2) men and women gymnasts of high-performing teams are more alike than different as regards their need to achieve and their motivational tendencies in gymnastics competition; and 3) the similarity between the sexes in all measures makes it imperative that equality prevails in all aspects of gymnastics and possibly other sports as well. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am especially grateful to Dr. Celeste Ulrich whose encourage­ ment and counsel brought this work to fruition, and to the other members of the dissertation committee, Dr. Pearl Berlin, Dr. E. Doris McKinney, Dr. Rosemary McGee, and Dr. E. William Noland who in various ways stimulated me in this endeavor. Special appreciation is extended to Coaches Judi Avener, Char Christensen, Carolyn Cody, Roger Counsil, Gail Davis, Thomas Dunn, Virginia Evans, Dale Flansaas, Abe Grossfeld, Charles Johnson, Newt Loken, William Meade, Barbara McKenzie Peacock, Robert Peavy, Donald Robinson, Inez Rovegno, Armando Vega, Gene Wettstone, and Frank Wolcott and their gymnasts without whose cooperation this study would not have been possible. I am also indebted to Dr. Thomas Norwood, biometrician for the Norwich Pharmacal Company whose consultation and assistance in statistical procedures was extremely helpful. To my wife, Nancy, for her patience and assistance in various phases of this research, and to my son,Anthony, and daughter, Lisa, for sacrificing their time, gratitude beyond measure. ii i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page APPROVAL PAGE ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF TABLES vi LIST OF FIGURES vii i CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 1 Definition of Terms 3 Assumptions Underlying This Study 5 Scope of This Study 6 Significance of This Study 7 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9 A Perspective of Competitive Gymnastics 9 Women in Sports 36 N Ach Theory 58 N Ach as Applicable to Sports 72 III. PROCEDURES 89 Selection of Subjects 89 Selection of Measuring Instruments 93 Collection of Data 98 Classification of Subjects 101 Equating the Groups 103 IV. ANALYSIS OF DATA 105 Achievement Motivation Levels 105 Motivational Tendencies 112 Mastery of Skill Between Male and Female Gymnasts with Scores Corrected for Differences in n Ach 122 i v Chapter Page V. CONCLUSION 130 Summary 130 Conclusions 132 Considerations for Further Study 136 BIBLIOGRAPHY 139 APPENDIX 153 A. Letter to Coaches Requesting Participation in the Research Problem of This Study 153 B. Cover Sheet Sent to Coaches with Letter Requesting Participation in the Study 154 C. Check List of Items in the Packet Sent to Coaches . 155 D. Procedure for Administering the 8-Item Questionnaire and the Q Sort 156 E. Lynn Achievement Motivation Questionnaire 158 F. Berlin Q Sort Statements 159 G. Original Berlin Q Sort Statements Revised by the Writer 152 H. Directions for Q Sorting 163 I. Response Sheet for Q Sorting 165 J. Numerical Conversion of 60-Item Sorts 166 K. Tally Sheet for Recording and Calculating Each Subject's Seasonal Mean Performance Score 167 L. Raw Scores for n Ach 168 M. Raw Scores for Mastery of Skill 169 N. Raw Scores for Dynamic Interaction 170 0. Raw Scores for Self-Regard 171 v LIST OF TABLES Page Regional and/or National Rankings of Participating Men's Teams 90 Regional and/or National Rankings of Participating Women's Teams 92 Distribution of Men's Mean Gymnastics Performance Scores for the 1974-75 Competitive Season .