What drives people to start, persist with and improve in physical activity, and how does goal setting harness this?
Explain intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and apply the principles of effective goal setting to improve participation and performance.
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, how rewards can help or undermine it, and the SMART and process-outcome principles of effective goal setting for participation and performance.
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What this dot point is asking
You must explain types of motivation and apply the principles of effective goal setting to improve participation and performance.
Types of motivation
- Intrinsic motivation comes from the activity itself: the enjoyment, satisfaction and sense of mastery or competence. It is the strongest predictor of long-term participation and persistence.
- Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the activity: tangible rewards (medals, money) and intangible rewards (praise, recognition). It can boost effort in the short term but is less durable.
The overjustification effect
Excessive external rewards can backfire. If a person who plays for enjoyment is given large rewards, they may start to play for the reward instead, and their intrinsic motivation falls. This is the overjustification effect, and it explains why coaches use rewards sparingly and emphasise enjoyment, autonomy and mastery to protect intrinsic motivation.
Why goal setting works
Goals direct attention, mobilise effort, increase persistence and encourage the development of strategies. A clear goal turns a vague wish to "get fitter" into a concrete target that motivates action and lets progress be measured.
Principles of effective goal setting
Effective goals are commonly described as SMART:
- Specific: clearly defined, not vague.
- Measurable: progress can be tracked with numbers or evidence.
- Achievable: within reach given the person's circumstances.
- Realistic (and challenging): demanding enough to motivate but not impossible.
- Time-bound: with a deadline that creates urgency.
Applying goal setting
Good practice sets a few prioritised goals, blends short-term goals (stepping stones that build confidence) with long-term goals (the destination), writes them down, and reviews and adjusts them regularly. Short-term success builds the self-belief that sustains effort toward distant goals.