Reflect back on a time from your personal sporting journey that you can recall vividly. This could be over a few games, or even across a season.
Spend time reflecting on the journey you and the team were on - positive or otherwise, and reflections on why you felt you and your team were experiencing that.
It may be that the outcomes were really good, or bad! It may be that the performances went through a period of really consistent and positive play, or didn't!
What is important is that you use the knowledge you have now to reflect deeply on why you feel that was, using Psychological work you have looked at in the last few weeks.
What were the group and team dynamics?
Was there any social loafing?
Were you exhibiting any of Steiners faulty processes?
What were people attributing performances to?
On reflection, how did this impact you/the team?
Was there any learned helplessness within the team?
Were there some in the team that were striving for mastery orientation?
How was your confidence through that time?
Did it shift from how you were as a trait to state - or were you consistent?
What was your competitive outcomes like?
Were people around you supporting improving your self-efficacy?
This task should require you to step back and see the period of time from a completely different perception.
Challenge yourself to have as rounded and deep a response as you can.
Question (09/06):
Bandura suggested that self-efficacy is influenced by four factors. Identify and apply these factors to a sport of your
choice. (8 marks) Note...do not mention imaginal experiences in the question, only focus on the four other factors.
Explaining
the model – The components of Vealey’s model can be explained
using a player in a school rugby team playing in the county cup final.
·Objective competitive situation
– this refers to the competition or competitive situation. So in this example
the player is playing in the final.
·Trait Sport Confidence
(SC-trait) – like all ‘trait’ theories, SC-trait refers to stable and enduring
sport confidence. It is an innate characteristic which means that a person with
high SC-trait is likely to feel capable of being successful in most situations,
whereas a person with low SC-trait will have a low confidence in most
situations.
·Competitive orientation
– this refers to the level of competitiveness of the player and how much effort
they put into something to be successful. Highly competitive players are more
likely to try to tackle players larger than themselves and take calculated
risks throughout the game. Players with a low competitive drive will avoid the
‘risky’ situations and not exert themselves in the game.
·State Sport Confidence
(SC-state) – this is the actual level of confidence in the situation similar to
self-efficacy (see later). The players will have low, moderate or high
confidence; which is dependant on SC-trait and competitive orientation. One
player may have high SC-trait and approach the game with high competitiveness,
which after the first few minutes of the match, where he has made a few good
runs, tackles and passes his SC-state is high. A player from the opposing team
has low SC-trait and a low level of competitiveness and therefore has low
SC-state.
·Behavioural responses
(performance) – these are the actual behaviours that the players exhibit, this
often reflects the quality of their performance. Players experiencing high SC-state
want to be involved in the action of the game, taking, putting a lot of effort
in and performing skills without fear of failure. However, players with low
SC-state may avoid the situation where they could be brought into the game and
generally shy away from the action.
·Subjective Outcomes
– this is how a player perceives or rates their performance. If the performance
is perceived to be successful then competitiveness and SC-state is increased.
If the performance is perceived as unsuccessful then competitiveness and
SC-state is decreased.
For
example after playing the first 10 minutes if a player has scored an early try
or made a few big tackles they are likely to feel satisfied with the positive
impact they have made in the game. This increases competitive orientation and
as a consequence SC-state. Both these factors impact on SC-state, meaning in
that situation confidence will be high.
Question 16/6:
Drawing on your knowledge and understanding of sports psychology, examine the theories and methods that you might use
to raise the levels of confidence of a sports performer.
Illustrate your answer with practical examples. 15 marks
