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Abstract:

The concepts of task and ego-orientation and different aspects of motivation are examined in a sample of young sporters (N= 108; 46% female, mean age 14 years and 8 months, ranging from 12 to 18) enrolled in topsport schools for secondary education. Individuals provided self-descriptions on the Hierarchical Personality Inventory for Children (HiPIC; Mervielde & De Fruyt), the Leuvense Motivatie Vragenlijst voor Competitiesport (LMVC; Vanden Auweele, De Cuyper, & Boen, 2004), and the Task and Ego Orientation in Sports Questionnaire (TEOSQ; Duda & Nicholls, 1992). The dimensions of Task and Ego-orientation were independent, with the Task-orientation dimension related to Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Benevolence, and Imagination, and the Ego-orientation dimension associated with only the Imagination factor. Also the LMVC subscales were substantially correlated with personality traits. Gender and age differences were also examined. A model will be propsed to develop coaching trajectories for young topsporters, taking into account their personality traits and motivational factors