Culture and Achievement Motivation in Sport: A Qualitative Comparative Study Between Maghrebian and European French Adolescents

Within the framework of achievement motivation, the authors assessed gender and ethnic differences for preferential choices of social situations of achievement (e.g., academic, sport, art) and motivational goals pursued. A contents analysis of the essays of 202 pupils (boys and girls of Maghrebian and European origin) from a suburb of Paris was used. The subjects of Maghrebian origin tended to choose the school for social situations of achievement, while those of European origin appreciated the possibility for sport and art. Gender differences were more specifically pronounced for the Maghrebian girls. Concerning motivational goals, boys showed a less-marked orientation towards mastery goals than girls, whatever the social situation of achievement. Finally, the data analysis revealed that the nature of the social domain of achievement influences whether adolescents become intrinsically or extrinsically motivated.