In two cross-sectional studies, we investigated to what extent elementary (Study 1) and middle school (Study 2) students pursue similar, yet distinct, mastery-related and performance-related goals in physical education. We found that students were more likely to endorse outcome goals in conjunction with mastery-related goals and ability goals in conjunction with normative goals. Rasch modelling suggested that students tended to endorse mastery-approach goals than learning and outcome goals and that they tended to favour ability goals than performance-approach goals. Differential item functioning analyses showed that autonomously motivated students were more likely to endorse learning goals and mastery-approach goals and less likely to endorse outcome goals than less autonomously motivated students. They were also more likely to endorse ability goals and less likely to endorse normative goals than controlled motivated students. Results are discussed within the achievement goal framework and the self-determination theory.

In two cross-sectional studies we investigated whether soccer players' well-being (Study 1) and moral functioning (Studies 1 and 2) is related to performance-approach goals and to the autonomous and controlling reasons underlying their pursuit. In support of our hypotheses, we found in Study 1 that autonomous reasons were positively associated with vitality and positive affect, whereas controlling reasons were positively related to negative affect and mostly unrelated to indicators of morality. To investigate the lack of systematic association with moral outcomes, we explored in Study 2 whether performance-approach goals or their underlying reasons would yield an indirect relation to moral outcomes through their association with players' objectifying attitude-their tendency to depersonalize their opponents. Structural equation modeling showed that controlling reasons for performance-approach goals were positively associated with an objectifying attitude, which in turn was positively associated to unfair functioning. Results are discussed within the achievement goal perspective (Elliot, 2005) and self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000). © 2010 Human Kinetics, Inc.