Week 5 Discussion Response

Instructor’s Feedback Week 3

Depth and Relevance: 4.5 out of 4.5

Reply post responds completely to all facets of another student’s initial post, incorporating different points of view, ideas or concepts related.

Utilization of Course Material and References:

4 out of 4

Reply post integrates course materials (textbook and ancillary article from student’s post).

Word Count: 2 out of 2

Reply post has between 250-350 words. (This word count does not include the actual discussion question being written or the reference list.)

Reply Post:

Hello Carlynn,

I support your idea about having a robust motivational climate to help a task-involving setting. It is essential in enhancing the athlete’s personal health and well-being. A motivational environment supports sports performance and achievement and without a talented athlete is unlikely to attain his full potential. It impacts how athletes respond to sports (Williams & Krane, 2021 Chapter 4). This touches on the athlete’s personal enhancement, sport enjoyment, enhanced competence, and increased levels of moral functioning.

Coaches are an essential aspect of sports as they enhance the players’ experience. Coaches who have undergone effective training offer an enhanced coaching experience among many athletes. Through positive reinforcement and teaching, the coaches improve the player’s satisfaction, compliance, motivation, self-esteem, and attrition levels. In many instances, the coach becomes the model of the behavior despite the athlete spending more time interacting with the family. This shows the need for coaches to undergo training on strength and conditioning principles essential to young athletes (Singh, 2012). The coaches are also critical in peak performances as they act as sports consultants for less skilled and young athletes. Coaches, through various approaches, can help athletes attain mental toughness (Williams & Krane, 2021 Chapter 9). Mental toughness touches on the perception or unshakable belief that the individual can achieve set goals, regardless of the setbacks or challenges. Mental toughness is a psychological resource that is efficient in nature to enact and maintain goal-oriented pursuits.

I support that the argument that task-involving climates have a negative impact by self-handicapping of elite athletes does not add up. Task-involving environments help enhance psychological capabilities that are attained through practice and knowledge. Combined with specific training techniques enhances the athlete's mental state. Increased physical capabilities, conditioning, and strategies increase the athlete's chances of offering peak performance. It is obtained through psychological readiness and an ideal mental climate that enhances performance.

 

References

Singh, R. (2012). Positive and negative impact of sports on youth.  Int. Res. J. Manag. Soc. Hum,  3, 780-787.

Williams, J. M., & Krane, V. (Eds.). (2021). Applied sports psychology: Personal growth to peak performance (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Original Post (responded to):

The framework for having a strong motivational climate which supports a task-involving setting is one value that adds to an athlete’s or person’s health and well being. This concept was a new learning point for me and the breakdown of creating a positive task-involving climate for young and elite athletes correlates with overall performance. Task-involving, which highlights the overall goal of personal improvement, resonates highly with enjoyment of a sport, perceived competence, and higher levels of moral functioning when positive coach-created environments take place. (Williams & Krane, 2021)

A journal done on youth’s mental health in relation to sports participation proved to show a connection between coach’s and overall player experience. When coaches of youth sports adhere to the development of their athlete’s needs, such as positive reinforcement and teaching, the player experience, satisfaction, motivation, and attrition rates all improve. (Singh, 2012) The physical benefits of sports participation in youth are apparent, but psychological benefits ultimately help shape the individual into who they become and how they apply this learning into other aspects of their lives, thus being valuable.

A women’s handball study done in France, provided additional support of the main point surrounding a positive correlation between coaching and task-involving climates. The study went on to hypothesis this positive connection against the negative ego-involving climate a coach could provide. Results concluded players feeling encompassing competence, autonomy, and relatedness through the task-involving climate of the coach. (Sarrazin et al., 2001) This study provided evidence to support the significance behind creating a motivational climate in sports participation, whether youth or elite athletes, in order for self improvement and overall autonomy to occur.

The textbook stated that studies had shown negative impacts of task-involving climates through self-handicapping behavior in elite athletes. The concept behind self-handicapping when performing poorly stemming from a task-involving climate doesn’t seem to add up to me, but rather fall in line with a more ego-involved climate. Not only does this seem to contradict the evidence in the handball study but I struggle to believe that self-handicapping would stem from a climate emphasizing the importance of self-improvement and motivation.  

References:

Sarrazin, P., Guillet, E., & Cury, F. (2001). The effect of Coach's task- and ego-involving climate on the changes in perceived competence, relatedness, and autonomy among girl handballers.  European Journal of Sport Science,  1(4), 1–9.  https://doi.org/10.1080/17461390100071404Links to an external site.

Singh, R. (2012). Positive and Negative Impact of Sports on Youth.  International Res Jour Managt Socio Human, 3, 780-787.

Williams, J. M., & Krane, V. (2021).  Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth To Peak Performance. McGraw-Hill Education.