Author(s)

Ochor Daniel Chinonso^*, Amasiatu Athanasius Nwanego

Affiliation(s)

Department of Sport and Exercise Science, Faculty of Education, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria.

Corresponding Author

Ochor Daniel Chinonso

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the impact of goal-setting training on football shooting competencies among students at Bayelsa State Sports Academy, focusing on both gender differences and overall effectiveness. A total of 42 student-athletes (21 males and 21 females) participated in a pre-test and post-test design. The goal-setting intervention resulted in a significant improvement in football shooting skills, with the pre-test mean score increasing from 4.08 to 13.03 in the post-test, reflecting a mean difference of 8.95 (p < 0.05). Both male and female participants showed substantial improvements, with female participants experiencing a mean increase of 8.88 and males 8.83. ANCOVA results indicated that the training had a significant effect on shooting competencies (F(1, 38) = 1.484, p < 0.05), with a partial eta squared value of 0.309, suggesting a large effect size. Gender did not significantly impact the intervention’s effectiveness, though the small effect size (0.051) for gender suggests a moderate but not large difference. The findings underscore the positive effect of goal-setting training on enhancing football shooting competencies and suggest its potential application in sports academies to improve athletic performance. Recommendations include integrating goal-setting techniques into regular sports training programs and further exploration of the gender dynamics in sports interventions.

KEYWORDS

Goal-setting training; Football shooting competencies; Sports academies; Gender differences

CITE THIS PAPER

Ochor Daniel Chinonso, Amasiatu Athanasius Nwanego. The impact of goal-setting training intervention program on football shooting competencies among students at the Bayelsa state sports academy. World Journal of Sport Research. 2025, 3(1): 8-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61784/wjsr3006.

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