Unit 2

Skill Acquisition
MOTIVATION

Motivation
Motivation = Drive to succeed
An internal factor that arouses and
direct behaviour Stallings, 1966
Motivation influences decisions,
learning and performance
A coach needs to be aware of its
influence as those who are motivated
are more likely to learn and practise.

Types of motivation
Intrinsic motivation feelings from inside
the performer. Enjoyment and
satisfaction
Intrinsic motivation is long lasting
(Biddell1984)
Extrinsic Motivation comes from gaining
external rewards (tangible money,
trophy) and praise/fame (intangible)
Extrinsic motivation can be of benefit at
first as it reinforces behaviour (see
learning theories)

Task
With a partner, discuss what motivates you
to play the sports you play and whether
you are still motivated by the same factors
as when you first began to play.
Consider an activity that you no longer
play. Why did you stop?
What motivates top performers?

Relationship between intrinsic

and extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic rewards need to be used
carefully because they can cause demotivation if they are used excessively or
inappropriately. Rewards can reduce
intrinsic motivation
Greene and Lepper (1975) did research
with children and drawing to show that
extrinsic rewards lowered intrinsic
motivation.

Deci (1975) Cognitive

Evaluation Theory
Proposed that extrinsic rewards give information
about performance and can control behaviour.
If they see an award as giving information about
their improvement then intrinsic motivation will
increase. If they fail to achieve it then the
opposite will occur as self confidence drops.
If they see the reward as the reason for
participating, then intrinsic motivation will
decrease.
Competition may also decrease intrinsic
motivation.

Effects of rewards

What can a coach do?

Use positive reinforcement
Lots of reinforcement is good early
on, but reduce it later
Reward performance and effort, not
just results
Manipulate environment to achieve
some success

National Governing Body

Awards?
Can you name some award schemes?
What are the implications of
motivation research on these
schemes?