Gender differences have been observed in achievement goal research with males reporting higher performance goals than females and females reporting higher mastery goals than males. But they are not studied extensively outside of the North America and other western European countries. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine gender differences in achievement goals, perceived motivational climate, and their relations to students’ persistence among Turkish students in secondary physical education. Such inquiry may further our understanding of the influence of cultural and geographical characteristics on gender issues in achievement goal research. Participants included 228 8th (57 boys; 54 girls) and 11th grade students (65 boys; 52 girls). They completed a 51-item, 7-point Likert scale questionnaires assessing their achievement goals (mastery, performance approach, and performance avoidance), perceived motivational climate (mastery-focused and performance-focused), and persistence in physical education. All items were modified from previous research and subjected to factor analyses. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance examined if the mean scores of achievement goals, perceived motivational climate, and persistence differed by gender. The analysis yielded a significant main effect (Wilks’ l = .91, F (6, 221) = 3.45, p = .003). But Univariate follow-up tests revealed no significant gender effects on each of the individual dependent variables. Multiple regression analyses indicated performance approach goals emerged as a significant positive predictor of persistence for both boys (b = .30, p = .002) and girls (b = .47, p < .001), suggesting that boys and girls whose goals were to perform better than others were more likely to persist in physical education. Additionally, perceptions of a mastery-focused climate became a significant positive predictor for boys only (b = .30, p = .002) and mastery goals emerged as a significant positive predictor for girls only (b = .28, p = .002). Overall, results of this study revealed few gender differences. This finding is not consistent with past research. It may be related to the unique geography of Turkey, which is located in an area where Europe meets Asia, creating a link between these two continents. Consequently, boys and girls in Turkey may approach, experience, and perform in achievement settings in a different manner than their counterparts in other countries. Keyword(s): gender issues, high school issues, multiculturalism/cultural diversity