Journal of Educational Issues

ISSN 2377-2263
2021, Vol. 7, No. 2

The Role of Athletic Self-efficacy and Athletic

Perfectionism in Predicting Athletic Performance of
Gazi University Student Athletes
Temel Çakiroğlu (Corresponding author)
Department of Sport Science, Lokman Hekim University, Ankara, Turkey
E-mail: temel.cakiroglu@lokmanhekim.edu.tr

Received: October 18, 2021 Accepted: November 17, 2021

Published: December 1, 2021
doi:10.5296/jei.v7i2.19108 URL: https://doi.org/10.5296/jei.v7i2.19108

Abstract
Athletic performance is the physical and mental effort of an individual or a sports team to win
and defeat the other person or team. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of
athletic self-efficacy and athletic perfectionism in predicting athletic performance of athletic
students of Gazi University.
The method of this study is descriptive and correlational. The statistical population includes
all student athletes of Gazi University, which is 360 people. To determine the sample size,
Cochran’s sample size estimation formula was used and the number of samples was
equivalent to 186 individuals selected by simple random sampling method. Standard
questionnaires on athletic self-efficacy, athletic perfectionism and athletic performance were
used to collect data. The data were analyzed using SPSS 24 software. Descriptive statistics
for quantitative variables were presented as mean and standard deviation. The regression
coefficient was used to determine the role of athletic self-efficacy and perfectionism in
predicting students’ athletic performance.
Athletic self-efficacy and athletic perfectionism play an important role in predicting athletic
performance of student athletes. Athletic self-efficacy and athletic perfectionism predicted
0.54 and 0.46 (p < 0.05) of changes in athletic performance, respectively.
As athletic self-efficacy and athletic perfectionism increase, so does athletic performance in
student athletes. Coaches are advised to pay attention not only to physical condition but also
to psychological characteristics and especially to indicators of perfectionism and self-efficacy
when selecting players.

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Keywords: Athletic self-efficacy, Athletic perfectionism, Athletic performance

1. Introduction
A healthy society requires effort and physical activity. The physical and mental effort made
by an individual, a group or a sports team to achieve a certain goal can be called athletic
performance. This is a definition of athletic performance that encompasses any athletic
activity. In other words, it is used for professional athletes as well as people who train for
their physical health. The definition of athletic performance in its specific meaning means the
physical and mental effort of a person or a sports team that is done in sports competitions
with the intention of winning and defeating the other person or team (Rostamzadeh & Zehsaz,
2020).
Considering the status of sports competitions in international arenas, it is clear that the role of
psychological factors in athletic performance is very important and significant (Roberts,
2001). They also achieve significant success, both in international competitive arenas and in
improving the health of the sport community. Today, sport psychologists have studied the
effects of sport on various psychological variables as well as the effects of these variables on
athletic performance. This study examined the role of athletic self-efficacy and perfectionism
in predicting athletic performance.
In the last few decades, sport psychology has become an important part of sport, as
well-informed and experienced before the competition and during training and exercises try
to achieve a level of self-confidence, self-efficacy and measure relevance of these factors to
the athlete’s success and failure. One of the applications of psychology in sport is to help
improve performance, to learn and to execute more correctly and more easily the skills, using
different techniques such as mental training, self-confidence and self-efficacy. Admittedly,
these psychosocial skills are the main and most prominent components of continuous
performance at high levels of competition (Newland et al., 2013).
Athletic self-efficacy essentially means feeling competent and able to deal with the problems
that arise in athletic competition. Athletic self-efficacy is defined as the athlete’s belief in the
ability to perform a successful operation to achieve a specific outcome in athletic
performance. On the one hand, athletic self-efficacy includes the athlete’s abilities, physical
and mental fitness, leadership and coaching, and situational superiority, and on the other hand,
it influences the athletic performance, success, and the ability to cope with stress (Sivrikaya,
2019).
The second factor that is influential for performance is perfectionism. Several chapters (e.g.,
Jowett, Mallinson, & Hill, 2016) and review articles (e.g., Hill & Madigan, 2017) have recently
been published that are focused on the consequences of perfectionism.
Madigan et al (2018) also concluded in their study that perfectionism improves athletic
performance. Therefore, it can be inferred that one of the most important psychological
factors related to people’s athletic performance is their perfectionism. Perfectionism is a
multidimensional personality trait characterized by the pursuit of flawlessness, setting high
standards of performance, and a hypercritical evaluation of one’s behavior (Madigan et al.,

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2016).
Stoeber (2014) introduces two positive and negative dimensions for perfectionism and
believes that in positive perfectionism, people are motivated with the goal of success and can
accept personal and social limitations while emphasizing the criteria of a high performance
plan. This dimension of perfectionism leads to the development of skills and talents and has
characteristics such as strong motivation and a desire for self-actualization (Stoeber, 2014).
Perfectionism are most commonly measured using instruments that capture high personal
standards, self-oriented perfectionism (imposing the need for perfection on the self), and
striving for perfection (Stoeber & Madigan, 2016).
According to Gallucci (2008), perfectionism in athletes has a largely healthy structure. In this
mechanism, athletes shift their focus from aggressive behavior and anger to perseverance and
effort, and pay less attention to the troubling aspects in order to better understand the logical
dimensions of sports situations. Perfectionistic efforts to set very high personal performance
standards are largely consistent with athletes (Gotwals et al., 2012). Since athletic
performance is strongly influenced by psychological variables and due to the research gap in
this area and the importance of perfectionism and self-efficacy in predicting athletic
performance, the present study aims to answer the question of the role of athletic self-efficacy
and athletic perfectionism in predicting athletic performance of athletic students at Gazi
University.
2. Method
The method of this study is descriptive and correlational. The statistical population includes
all student athletes of Gazi University, which is 360 people. To determine the sample size,
Cochran’s sample size estimation formula was used and the number of samples was 186
people who were selected by simple random sampling method. Standard questionnaires were
used to collect the information.
The Athletic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire was created and validated by Sahraian et al. (2016).
The final version of this questionnaire includes 22 items. The questionnaire is scored on a
5-point Likert scale (very low to very high) from 1 to 5 points. The validity of the main parts
of the questionnaire was checked and confirmed by Sahraian et al. (2016). Moreover, its
reliability was reported with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.97 and split-half method of
0.94.
The Athletic Perfectionism Questionnaire was developed and validated by Dunn et al. (2006).
The final version of this questionnaire includes 42 items. This instrument is scored on a
5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) from 1 to 5 points. The validity of
the main sections of the questionnaire was tested and confirmed by Dunn et al. (2006). Its
reliability was also reported with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.89.
The Athletic Performance Questionnaire was developed and validated by Charbonneau et al.
(2001). The final version of this instrument includes 5 items. The instrument is scored on a
5-point Likert scale (poor to excellent) ranging from 1 to 5. The validity of the main sections

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of the questionnaire was checked and confirmed by Charbonneau et al. (2001). The reliability
of the questionnaire was also reported with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.85.
Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24. Descriptive statistics for quantitative
variables were presented as mean and standard deviation. A regression coefficient was used to
determine the role of athletic self-efficacy and perfectionism in predicting students’ athletic
performance.
3. Results

Table 1. Average and standard deviation of athletic self-efficacy, athletic perfectionism and
athletic performance

Variable Mean Standard deviation

Athletic self-efficacy 77.94 9.76

Athletic perfectionism 139.61 21.96

Athletic performance 19.23 2.55

According to the results of the Table 1, the mean of athletic self-efficacy is 77.94 ± 9.76,
athletic perfectionism is 139.61 ± 21.96, and athletic performance is 19.23 ± 2.55.

Table 2. Summary of regression model: the effect of athletic self-efficacy on athletic

performance

Adjusted R Square R Square R

0.298 0.302 0.549

According to the results of Table 2, the correlation coefficient between athletic self-efficacy
and athletic performance is 0.54 and the coefficient of determination is 0.30. In other words,
0.30 of the changes in athletic performance are determined by athletic self-efficacy and 0.70
by other variables.

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Table 3. The results of the simple regression equation: effect of athletic self-efficacy on
athletic performance

Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients

Model t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta

(Constant) 51.26 6.50 7.88 0.001

1
Athletic self-efficacy 0.74 0.08 0.54 8.91 0.001

According to the results of Table 3 and considering the significant test error level for the
confidence level of 0.95, it can be said that athletic self-efficacy has a significant positive
effect on athletic performance. The beta coefficient also shows that athletic self-efficacy
predicts 0.54 of the changes in athletic performance.

Table 4. Summary of regression model: the effect of athletic perfectionism on athletic

performance

Adjusted R Square R Square R

0.213 0.218 0.467

According to the results of Table 4, the correlation coefficient between athletic perfectionism
and athletic performance is 0.46 and the coefficient of determination is 0.21. In other words,
it can be said that 0.21 of the changes in athletic performance are determined by athletic
perfectionism and 0.79 are determined by other variables.

Table 5. The results of the simple regression equation: effect of athletic perfectionism on
athletic performance

Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients

Model t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta

(Constant) 55.75 7.21 7.72 0.001

1
Athletic perfectionism 0.36 0.05 0.46 7.15 0.001

According to the results of Table 5 and considering the significant test error level for the
confidence level of 0.95, it can be said that athletic perfectionism has a significant positive

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effect on athletic performance. The beta coefficient also shows that athletic perfectionism
predicts 0.46 of the changes in athletic performance.
4. Discussion
The athletic performance of student athletes is influenced by various psychological factors,
which has been confirmed by studies in this field. Considering the importance of athletic
performance and the effect of sports psychological variables, the present study was conducted
to investigate the role of athletic self-efficacy and athletic perfectionism in predicting athletic
performance of Gazi University student athletes.
The results of the study show that athletic self-efficacy has a significant positive effect on
athletic performance. Based on the beta coefficient of athletic self-efficacy, it predicts 0.54 of
the changes in athletic performance. The research findings are consistent with the findings of
Vegard et al. (2018). In their study, they concluded that self-efficacy has a significant impact
on the athletic performance of professional ski jumpers. Also, the results of the study
conducted by Sivrikaya (2019) show that self-efficacy has an influence on the athletic
performance of football players, in other words, self-efficacy is one of the most important
characteristics of a successful athlete.
In addition, Mouloud and Elkader (2016) showed that there is a positive and significant
correlation between self-efficacy and the components of athletic performance and success in
football players. However, these statements do not confirm the findings of Rasmusen (2016).
This is because he concluded in his research that there is no relationship between
self-efficacy and athletic performance.
To further explain the above findings, the importance of athletic self-efficacy must first be
addressed. Some consider self-efficacy to be the most important psychological structure
contributing to athletic performance. It is very important to consider the effects of
self-efficacy on athletic performance because the numerous studies mentioned above have
shown that self-efficacy is positively related to athletic performance, which means that people
with higher self-efficacy are more able to cope with problems that occur during athletic
competition.
Valiante and Morris (2013) studies supported Bandura’s claims about dominance experiences
as an important source of self-efficacy. They asked players to describe their careers, including
their successes and failures, and how those successes and failures influenced their thought
patterns, expected outcomes, and emotional states. They found that professional golfers are
able to maintain high performance over a long period of time by remembering their previous
successes. This is important because these athletes report that their belief in self-efficacy
leads to a mindset that allows them to be calmer and more productive than they would
otherwise be, and they perform better as a result.
It also shows that just being strong and physically healthy is not enough for an athlete to
perform at their maximum. In addition to fitness and health, the theory of self-efficacy
predicts that athletes will gain confidence in performing the required tasks. For example, two
weightlifters with the same physical strength may not perform the same if they have different

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beliefs about their ability to lift weights (weightlifting self-efficacy); or two runners with the
same speed may reach the finish line at different distances if they have different athletic
self-efficacy.
The results of the study also show that athletic perfectionism has a significant positive effect
on athletic performance and predicts 0.46 of changes in athletic performance. The findings of
the study are in line with the findings of Madigan et al. (2018) who concluded that
perfectionism improves athletic performance. Also, Jowett et al. (2016) showed in their study
that self-efficacy as a psychological factor has an important influence on improving athletic
performance. The research findings are consistent with the findings of Pourjavid (2015) who
showed that positive perfectionism has a significant relationship with athletic performance of
students. The research findings are also consistent with the findings of Byrd (2011), Gotwals
et al. (2012), Stoeber (2012), Brandy et al. (2013) and Hill et al. (2014). In the
aforementioned studies, the effect of self-efficacy on athletic performance was investigated
and confirmed.
To explain the above results, it should first be said that perfectionism has been studied for
many years. Early theoretical work focused on the relationship between perfectionism and
psychological pathology (Hollender, 1965). Opinions on performance have diverged. Many
theorists have argued that perfectionism is likely to impair performance. This was, of course,
because it considered the cognitions, emotions, and disabling behaviors that form the basis of
psychological pathology. However, further studies have shown that perfectionism can
contribute to better performance in some cases, even if it comes at a higher cost. This is due
to its potentially motivational or energizing properties, particularly sacrifice, determination,
and perseverance, which can lead to obsessive commitment to activities in sport.
In general, a review of recent studies on perfectionism and performance in sport indicates that
perfectionism is an important feature in the domains of progress in sport and performance,
and that perfectionist efforts are interrelated in certain contexts. While there is evidence that
perfectionistic endeavors may affect athletic performance, there is also ample evidence that
they may play a more complex role in performance, which supports the findings of the
present study. Therefore, it can be said that athletic perfectionism increases an individual’s
positive perception of support and social evaluations through realism, acceptance of personal
limitations, and improving feelings of satisfaction and contentment with one’s performance,
and this process improves athletic performance and increases athletic success.
5. Conclusion
Based on the results of the study, it can be said that athletic self-efficacy and athletic
perfectionism play a significant role in predicting the athletic performance of athletic students
at Gazi University. Thus, with the increase of athletic self-efficacy and athletic perfectionism,
the athletic performance of student athletes also increases. Accordingly, in addition to the
physical and technical conditions of the players, the coaches and managers of university
sports are recommended to pay attention to the psychological and personal characteristics of
the players, especially the indicators of perfectionism and athletic self-efficacy of individuals.
Based on the results of the study, it can be said that athletic self-efficacy and athletic

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perfectionism play a significant role in predicting the athletic performance of athletic students
at Gazi University. Thus, with the increase of athletic self-efficacy and athletic perfectionism,
the athletic performance of student athletes also increases. Accordingly, in addition to the
physical and technical conditions of the players, the coaches and managers of university
sports are recommended to pay attention to the psychological and personal characteristics of
the players, especially the indicators of perfectionism and athletic self-efficacy of individuals.
In addition, student athletes are recommended to adjust their training goals and plans in
consultation with their teams’ coaches and psychological advisors based on their self-efficacy
and athletic perfectionism in order to achieve the highest level of athletic performance in the
shortest time possible.
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