The influence of goal-setting, desire to win, and individual opinion on the satisfaction of students with athletic clubs

Abstract

 The purpose of this study was to analyze consciousness with regard to team/individual goal-setting, desire to win, and individual opinion in relation to the satisfaction of students with athletic clubs.
 We conducted a questionnaire survey of athletic clubs to investigate 3 issues related to team goal-setting: a) whether the goals were set or not, b) who was responsible for deciding the goals, and c) whether the goals were shared or not. We also investigated 3 issues related to students' personal goal-setting: a) whether the goals were set or not, b) whether a concrete plan for goal achievement was formulated or not, and c) whether an effort was made to accomplish these aims. We also investigated students' desire to win, the degree of reflection of individual student opinion, and satisfaction gained from applying individual aims using a survey of athletic club activity devised by the Japanese Ministry of Education (1997).
 The study involved 4,104 students at 292 athletic clubs in 29 junior high schools, and 3,944 students at 249 athletic clubs in 23 high schools (8,048 students in total). The response rate was 69.9%.
 The main results were as follows:
 1) Most of the students had their own personal goals, made concrete plans for achieving them, and made an effort to accomplish their aims. Also, team goals were set, and these were decided and shared by all students.
 2) Most of the students recognized that their teams were victory-oriented. In addition, they considered that coaches were positively responsive to students' opinions during practice and games.
 3) Therefore, most students had a high level of satisfaction with their athletic clubs.