Investigating mastery-avoidance goals using the achievement goal questionnaire for sports (AGQ-S): a meta-analytic confirmatory factor analysis (MA-CFA)

The present study aimed to further expound on the research findings of Strunk et al. (Educational Psychology, 41(4), 383-400, 2021) and Elliot and Thrash (Educational Psychology Review, 13(2), 139-156, 2001) by investigating the structure of achievement goals using a sports environment, with a specific interest in the mastery-avoidance construct. According to achievement goal theorists, mastery-avoidance goals involve the aim to avoid losing skills. Using meta-analytic confirmatory factor analysis, the present study found that the 2 x 2 model that included mastery-avoidance goals did not significantly differ from the three-factor model. Mastery-avoidance goals may be more measurable among athletes than in other populations; however, the null difference suggests that the mastery-avoidance construct may need further examination. Future researchers should further investigate the sports environment for specific correlates of mastery-avoidance goals.