Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025
The mediating role of achievement goal orientations on the associations between empowering/disempowering climates and the state of flow in young soccer players
The motivational climate created by coaches influences athletes’ experiences of flow. Achievement goal orientations may help explain this relationship, acting as a key link between empowering or disempowering climates and athletes’ flow states. The purpose of this research was to analyse the mediating effect of motivational orientation (task and ego) on the relationships between empowering/disempowering motivational climate and the state of flow in a sample of young footballers. An associative and explanatory design was used to analyse the extent to which the athletes’ motivational orientation explained the association between the motivational climate created by the coaches and the state of flow. A total of 328 male adolescents, aged between 14 and 18 years (M = 15.83; SD = 1.38), who were affiliated with football teams in the city of Málaga (Spain) participated. Mediation analyses were performed using Model 4 of SPSS PROCESS v.4.1 software to test the indirect effects of motivational climate on flow through achievement goal orientations. The analyses highlighted statistically significant and positive relationships between the empowering climate and task-oriented motivation, as well as between the disempowering climate and ego-oriented motivation. Additionally, task orientation was more strongly associated with the state of flow and played a partial mediating role between the empowering climate and the state of flow. The results underscore the importance of promoting empowering climates in sports contexts due to their relationship with the promotion of task-oriented motivations and their impact on athletes’ states of flow.
BirrCHernandez-MendoAMonteiroD, et al.Empowering and disempowering motivational coaching climate: a scoping review. Sustainability2023; 15: 2820.
2.
Moreno-LuqueMReigalREMorillo-BaroJP, et al.Estilo de interacción del entrenador, clima motivacional percibido y satisfacción de las necesidades psicológicas básicas en futbolistas jóvenes. Cuad Psicol Deporte2019; 19: 79–89.
3.
TušakMDi CorradoDCocoM, et al.Dynamic interactive model of sport motivation. Int J Environ Res Public Health2022; 19: 4202.
4.
DudaJL. The conceptual and empirical foundations of empowering coaching™: setting the stage for the PAPA project. Int J Sport Exerc Psychol2013; 11: 311–318.
5.
GledhillAHarwoodCForsdykeD. Psychosocial factors associated with talent development in football: a systematic review. Psychol Sport Exerc2017; 31: 93–112.
6.
KippLEBolterND. Motivational climate dimensions predict youth soccer players’ psychosocial well-being over time. Psychol Sport Exerc2024; 70: 102518.
7.
LiuWWangWYangS. Perceived transformational leadership from the coach and athletes’ subjective well-being: a moderated mediated model. Front Psychol2023; 13: 1100645.
8.
SchlesingerTLöbigAEhnoldP, et al.What is influencing the dropout behaviour of youth players from organised football? A systematised review. Ger J Exerc Sport Res2018; 48: 176–191.
9.
ShannonSBrickNPrenticeG, et al.The influence of athletes’ psychological needs on motivation, burnout, and well-being: a test of self-determination theory. J Clin Sport Psychol2023; 1: 1–20.
10.
WoodsSDunneSGallagherP, et al.A systematic review of the factors associated with athlete burnout in team sports. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol2022; 15: 1–41.
11.
AmaroNMonteiroDRodriguesF, et al.Task-involving motivational climate and enjoyment in youth male football athletes: the mediation role of self-determined motivation. Int J Environ Res Public Health2023; 20: 3044.
12.
FanFChenJChenY, et al.How relationship-maintenance strategies influence athlete burnout: mediating roles of coach–athlete relationship and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Front Psychol2023; 13: 1104143.
13.
MossmanLHSlempGRLewisKJ, et al.Autonomy support in sport and exercise settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol2022; 15: 1–24.
14.
BalaguerICastilloIDudaJL. Motivación, clima motivacional e implicaciones. In: García-CalvoTLeoFCervellóE (eds) Dirección de equipos deportivos. Valencia: Tirant Humanidades, 2021, pp.181–206.
15.
DudaJ. Goal perspectives research in sport: pushing the boundaries and clarifying some misunderstandings. In: RobertsGC (eds) Advances in motivation in sport and exercise. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2001, pp.129–182.
16.
DeciELRyanRM. Conceptualizations of intrinsic motivation and self-determination. In: DeciELRyanRM (eds) Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum Press, 1985, pp.11–40.
17.
RyanRMDeciEL. Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. New York: Guilford Publications, 2017.
18.
AyalaCMSGastélumG. Teoría de la autodeterminación en el contexto de educación física: una revisión sistemática. Retos2020; 38: 838–844.
NichollsJG. The Competitive Ethos and Democratic Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1989.
21.
DudaJLNichollsJG. Dimensions of achievement motivation in schoolwork and sport. J Educ Psychol1992; 84: 290–299.
22.
LujánJFGFerriolAG. Orientación de meta de los entrenadores y metodología de entrenamiento: implicaciones motivacionales. Eur J Hum Mov2002; 9: 65–82.
23.
Gutiérrez GarcíaPCastillo JiménezNBalaguerI, et al.Validación del cuestionario de climas motivacionales empowering y disempowering en jóvenes deportistas mexicanos. Rev Lat Am Psicol2022; 54: 120–129.
24.
DudaJLAppletonPR. Empowering and disempowering coaching climates: conceptualization, measurement considerations, and intervention implications. In: RaabMWyllemanPSeilerRElbeA-MHatzigeorgiadisA (eds) Sport and exercise psychology research. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2016, pp.373–388. 10.1016/B978-0-12-803634-1.00017-0
25.
Ramírez MejíaJDJ.Climas empowering y disempowering, necesidades psicológicas e intención de práctica deportiva futura en jóvenes deportistas. Doctoral dissertation. Monterrey: Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León; 2020.
26.
HabeebCMBarbeeJRaedekeTD. Association of parent, coach, and peer motivational climate with high school athlete burnout and engagement: comparing mediation and moderation models. Psychol Sport Exerc2023; 68: 102471.
27.
DudaJ. Goals: a social cognitive approach to the study of motivation in sport. In: SingerRNMurpheyMTennantLK (eds) Handbook of research on sport psychology. New York: Macmillan, 1993, pp.421–436.
28.
WhiteheadJDudaJ. Measurement of goal perspectives in the physical domain. In: DudaJ (eds) Advances in sport and exercise psychology measurement. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology, 1998, pp.21–48.
29.
RuizMCAppletonPRDudaJL, et al.Social environmental antecedents of athletes’ emotions. Int J Environ Res Public Health2021; 18: 4997.
30.
MastagliMVan HoyeAHainautJ-P, et al.The role of an empowering motivational climate on pupils’ concentration and distraction in physical education. J Teach Phys Educ2021; 41: 311–321.
31.
AppletonPRNtoumanisNQuestedE, et al.Initial validation of the coach-created empowering and disempowering motivational climate questionnaire (EDMCQ-C). Psychol Sport Exerc2016; 22: 53–65.
32.
Castillo-JiménezNLópez-WalleJMTomásI, et al.Empowering and disempowering motivational climates, mediating psychological processes, and future intentions of sport participation. Int J Environ Res Public Health2022; 19: 96.
33.
BarreroAM. Efecto de dos métodos de entrenamiento sobre la motivación en porteros de fútbol formativo. Retos2023; 48: 207–212.
34.
LiBDingCShiH, et al.Assessment of psychological zone of optimal performance among professional athletes: EGA and item response theory analysis. Sustainability2023; 15: 7904.
35.
Sánchez VaraAChamorroJLMoreno CastellanosR, et al.Measuring optimal psychological states: proposal of two brief versions to measure flow and clutch in athletes. Front Psychol2023; 14: 1066494.
36.
GoddardSGStevensCJSwannC. Exploring runners’ perspectives of potential strategies for flow interventions. J Appl Sport Psychol2023; 35: 455–477.
37.
BoudreauPMackenzieSHHodgeK. Optimal psychological states in advanced climbers: antecedents, characteristics, and consequences of flow and clutch states. Psychol Sport Exerc2022; 60: 102155.
38.
BalaguerICastilloIDudaJL. Creación de climas de empoderamiento. In: García-CalvoTLeoFCervellóE (eds) Dirección de equipos deportivos. Valencia: Tirant Humanidades, 2021, pp.447–470.
39.
AtoMLópez GarcíaJJBenaventeA.Un sistema de clasificación de los diseños de investigación en psicología. An Psicol2013; 29: 1038–1059.
40.
BalaguerICastilloITomásI. Análisis de las propiedades psicométricas del cuestionario de orientación al ego y a la tarea en el deporte (TEOSQ) en su traducción al español. Psicológica1996; 17: 71–81.
41.
JacksonSAMarshH. Development and validation of a scale to measure optimal experience: the flow state scale. J Sport Exerc Psychol1996; 18: 17–35.
42.
World Medical Association. World medical association declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA2013; 310: 2191–2194.
43.
EvansJD. Straightforward Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1996.
44.
HayesAF. Partial, conditional, and moderated moderated mediation: quantification, inference, and interpretation. Commun Monogr2018; 85: 4–40.
45.
WilliamsJMacKinnonDP. Resampling and distribution of the product methods for testing indirect effects in complex models. Struct Equ Modeling2008; 15: 23–51.
46.
AppletonPRDudaJL. Examining the interactive effects of coach-created empowering and disempowering climate dimensions on athletes’ health and functioning. Psychol Sport Exerc2016; 26: 61–70.
47.
StavrouNAMPsychountakiMGeorgiadisE, et al.Flow theory–goal orientation theory: positive experience is related to athletes’ goal orientation. Front Psychol2015; 6: 1499.
48.
JeongJ. Exploring the relationship between goal orientation and perceived performance emphasizing the mediating effect of training flow and moderating effect of coaches’ social support among elite taekwondo student-athletes. Int J Sport Psychol2023; 54: 227–247.
49.
IvarssonAKilhage-PerssonAMartindaleR, et al.Psychological factors and future performance of football players: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Sci Med Sport2020; 23: 415–420.
50.
MouloudKElkaderBA. Self-efficacy and achievement motivation among football player. Swed J Sci Res2016; 3: 13–19.
51.
SarıİBizanİ. The role of parent-initiated motivational climate in athletes’ engagement and dispositional flow. Kinesiology2022; 54: 3–14.
