1. Joan L. Duda & Darren C. Treasure
Chapter 4
The Motivational Climate, Athlete Motivation, and Implications for the Quality of Sport Engagement
Joan L. Duda & Darren C. Treasure
“You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.”
Michael Phelps
U.S. Olympic swimmer, 22 medals
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2. Motivation The foundation of sport performance and achievement
Athletes can’t achieve full potential without it
Complex and multifaceted
Shapes how the athlete experiences and responds to sport
Often misunderstood
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3. Motivation (cont.) Variable
Depends on the diverse ways in which athletes interpret their sport-related experiences
Stems from behavioral patterns
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4. Evaluating Motivation within an Individual
Quantity of motivation
How “into” the sport + how well she or he is currently performing
Quality of motivation
Sustained positive engagement in sport
Degree of enjoyment
Psychological and physiological benefit associated with sport involvement
Both linked to how athletes think before, during, and after sport experience
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5. Theoretical Frameworks for Motivation
Achievement goal frameworks
Self-determination theory
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6. Achievement Goal Framework
Perceptions of competence
(how able we think we are) +
Differences in goal perspectives (ways in which individuals judge their competence and perceive success) =
QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF OUR MOTIVATION
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7. Achievement Goal Framework (cont.)
The result of both individual differences and situational factors
Two central goal perspectives govern the way athletes think about achievement and guide subsequent decision making and action:
Task
Ego
Fluctuate constantly!
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8. Achievement Goal Framework: Task Involved
Athlete is focused on what he or she is doing and is thinking primarily about how to accomplish the task:
Gain skills and knowledge
Exhibit effort
Perform at one’s best
Experience personal improvement
If achieved, the individual feels competent and successful
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9. Achievement Goal Framework: Ego Involved
Relies on social comparisons with others
Athlete preoccupied with the adequacy of ability and superior competence compared to others
The athlete’s focus is on whether they’re good enough (if confidence is low) and how to prove (rather than improve) his or her high level of competence (if confidence is high)
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10. Task Involvement VS. Ego Involvement
The athlete will think, act, and feel in a motivated manner regardless of her or his level of perceived ability
Expected to possess high quality motivation
Can work like task involvement, BUT…
When the possibility of demonstrating superior competence is “slim to none,” the quantity and quality of motivation is diminished
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11. Goal Orientation Occurrence
Goal orientations are not bipolar opposites, rather independent dimensions
High ego/low task
High task/low ego
High task/high ego
Low task/low ego
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12. Significance of Goal Orientation
Task and ego goal orientations have different behavioral, cognitive, and affective patterns in sport
Both impact short-term performance and the quantity and quality of long- term participation
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13. Impacts of Goal Orientation
Task Orientation
Ego Orientation
Related to positive motivational outcomes (i.e. effort is a cause of success)
Associated with the belief that one’s level of physical ability is changeable or malleable (i.e. training leads to increased ability)
Associated with boredom, the belief that deception is a cause of success, and reported anxiety
Ability considered to be an important determinant of success (i.e. sport competence is stable and a “gift”)
Which lends itself to the idea that training matters?
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14. Impacts of Goal Orientation (cont.)
Ego Avoidance Goal
Athlete does not want to reveal his or her inferiority
Linked to:
Greater fear of failure
Belief that sport ability is unchangeable
Perceptions of an ego-involving climate
Heightened anxiety
Lower intrinsic motivation
Amotivation
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15. Impacts of Goal Orientation (cont.)
Ego-involved athletes tend to question their competence
It is all about their perception, not actual ability!
Can lead fear of failure in the sport domain
Athlete does not want to look incompetent
Centering on ego goals translates into negative processes and outcomes when the athlete’s superiority is not demonstrated
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16. Impacts of Goal Orientation (cont.)
2x2 Achievement Goal Framework
Distinguishes approach and avoidance facets of task (or mastery-based) goals
Task Approach Goal
Focus is on the development of personal competence and realization of task mastery
Linked to positive perceptions
Task Avoidance Goal
Athlete tries to avoid demonstrating self-referenced incompetence
Linked to negative processes and outcomes
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17. Sport Context
Motivational climate is the perceived structure of the environment
Can make it more or less likely that a particular goal state is manifested in training or competition
Affects the achievement patterns of individuals through their view of what goals are reinforced in that setting
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18. Sport Context (cont.) Task-involving climate:
Athletes perceive coach reinforces high effort, cooperation among team members, learning and improvement, and all members contribute
Linked with greater enjoyment, adaptive coping strategies, perceived competence, team cohesion, higher moral function
Also linked to self-handicapping
Making excuses to explain poor performances
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19. Sport Context (cont.) Ego-involving climate:
Athletes perceive their coach to provide less social support and positive feedback and be more punishment oriented
Linked to greater anxiety and performance-related worry, dropping out of sport, greater peer conflict, greater self- handicapping, and lower levels of moral functioning
A highly ego-involving motivational climate may cause some athletes to have doubts about their sport competence and question their worth as a person overall
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20. Goal Theory Implications for Practice
Implement strategies that encourage athletes to focus on gains in skill or knowledge, monitoring effort levels, and self- referenced criteria for success
Always critically evaluate what you do in terms of task and ego goals
Coaches, sport psychologists, and parents
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21. Self-Determination Theory
Approach to understanding motivation and behavior in sport
Individual acts (the level of self-determination) +
Types of motivation =
Different outcomes
Social conditions support or undermine optimal functioning and well-being via the satisfaction of basic psychological needs
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22. Self-Determination Continuum
Amotivation
No internal or external motivation - no perceived reasons for participation
Autonomous Motivation (Intrinsic):
Participation is self-determined
Involvement revolves around the inherent pleasure of doing the activity
Associated with positive and maximal engagement
Controlled Motivation (Extrinsic):
Determinants of sport engagement are external
Dependent on rewards, which are usually social or material
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23. Self-Determination Continuum (cont.)
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24. Self-Determination Theory (cont.)
The range of the athlete’s self-determined reasons for engaging in sport is dependent on his or her degree of basic need satisfaction
Everyone needs to feel competent, autonomous, and connected with others within our various life domains
Matters in sport, too
Has a lot to do with the coach
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25. Self-Determination Theory (cont.)
Highly controlling coaches tend to intimidate their athletes, run their team in an autocratic fashion, and use extrinsic rewards to control the behavior of the players on their team
Athletes feel incompetent
Coaches who are autonomy supportive ask for athlete input, offer choices, provide rationale for their requests, and downplay the presence extrinsic rewards
Athletes feel respected
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26. Pros and Cons Some athletes play sport for intrinsic reasons
You need high levels of intrinsic motivation for long-term engagement with sport
What is the effect of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation?
It depends…
Rewards can diminish intrinsic interest, but they can also foster intrinsic motivation
Depends on the individual athlete
Extrinsic rewards are controlling
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27. Implications for Practice
Perceived adequate ability, feelings of respect, and autonomy fuel intrinsic motivation
Show caution when using extrinsic reinforcements
There are other ways to foster an athlete’s self- determination
Socially supportive sport
environments
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