Competitive orientations in academically talented youth: Associations with psychosocial and school-related variables

Objectives

There are contrasting views of competition in educational settings and recent research has suggested that individuals have different competitive orientations. In this study, we assessed competitive orientations in a sample of high achieving adolescents in the United States. We also examined the association of competitive orientations to self-reported academic and psychosocial outcomes.

Method

Participants consisted of 420 academically talented students attending a summer program. Academic outcomes included academic self-efficacy, academic engagement, school belonging, and positive views of teachers; psychosocial outcomes included work ethic, hope, and curiosity. The 15-item version of the Multidimensional Competitive Orientation Inventory was used to measure competitive orientations.

Results

Results supported the psychometric integrity of five competitive orientations: Self-Developmental, Hypercompetitive, Anxiety-Driven, Fear of Losing, and Lack of Interest. The Self-Developmental competitive orientation was positively associated with most of the outcome variables, but the Hypercompetitive orientation was not, and the other three orientations were negatively related to outcomes. Latent profile analyses yielded four profiles labeled Self-Developmental, Uninterested Anxious, Avoidant, and Conflicted Competitors. The Self-Developmental and the Conflicted Competitors reported higher scores than the Avoidant Competitors on the majority of outcomes, and higher scores than the Uninterested Anxious group on half of the outcomes.

Conclusion

The results suggest that competitive orientations can be measured with integrity in high achieving students and play a role in how these students engage in the world. We contend that competitive orientations should be considered in studies of competition and competitive contexts.