High Task/High Ego Oriented Students' Reasons for Endorsing Task and Ego Goals in the Context of Physical Education

This paper explores the deeper reasons that students identify to account for their endorsement of high task/high ego goals in the context of physical education (PE). Data from in-depth interviews suggest that although such individuals are thought to reflect a statistically homogenous subgroup, they outline remarkably different qualitative reasons to account for their endorsement of task and ego oriented items. Findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to Nicholls's achievement goal theory in the context of PE.