The effect of task structure, perceived motivational climate and goal orientations on students' task involvement and anxiety

Abstract This study examined the effect of task structure, perceived motivational climate, and goal orientations on students' task involvement and anxiety in the physical education lesson. Two hundred thirty-nine junior high school students participated in a physical education lesson comprised of four task-involving tasks and in a physical education lesson consisting of three ego-involving tasks. After the completion of each task the students responded on a questionnaire measuring concentration, autotelic experience, and loss of self-consciousness. In the last part of the lessons the students completed instruments assessing anxiety and perceived motivational climate. In the lesson comprised of task-involving tasks the students had higher state self-confidence, lower somatic anxiety, and perceived a higher task-involving and a lower ego-involving climate than in the lesson consisting of the ego-involving tasks. In both lessons, task orientation and the perception of a task-involving climate were positive predictors of concentration, autotelic experience, and loss of self-consciousness. The results are discussed with regard to the effect of task structure on the perceived motivational climate, task-involvement, and anxiety.