Adaptation of «Perception of success questionnaire (POSQ)» method

Athletes' capacities realization is connected with achievement motivation. Success-oriented athletes and athletes oriented on failure avoidance demonstrate different behavior features. Athletes oriented on success achievement desire to be perfect in every task. They are ready to assume extra duty to make their contribution in success achievement more evident. Athletes oriented on failure avoidance, experience anxiety and low level of confidence in test situations. In spite of the fact that achievement motivation investigations have long time history there is lack of psycho-diagnostic instruments for achievement motivation assessment. The study purpose was evaluation of psychometric properties of Russian version of Perception of success questionnaire (POSQ). POSQ adaptation was conducted on two samples of adolescent athletes involved in individual and team sport disciplines. 178 athletes were investigation participants. Perception of success questionnaire demonstrates good psychometric properties. New data on personal predictors of adolescent athletes' task or ego orientation are presented in the article. The presented data support usability of achievement goals theory for sport psychology investigations and for athletes' psychological support programs substantiation. It was cleared out that task and ego orientation indicators demonstrate different correlations with personal traits indicators (coping strategies, sport motivation) and mental states indicators (subjective well-being, emotional burnout). Correlations nature shows that task orientation is more useful for athletes than ego orientation. Investigation results demonstrate additional increasing ways of athletes' mental toughness to help them in overcoming competitive stress and emotional burnout by means of correct goal setting. Thus Russian sport psychologists received a new diagnostic instrument for precise athletes' motivation assessment.