Explain intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and apply the principles of effective goal setting to improve participation and performance.

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.

Motivation and goal setting also interact. Well-designed process goals protect intrinsic motivation because they reward effort and mastery rather than comparison with others, so an athlete can have a satisfying session even after a loss. Goals that are too easy fail to engage, while goals that are unrealistic erode confidence and motivation, which is why the challenging-yet-achievable balance is central. The applied skill this dot point assesses is to take a vague aspiration, reframe it into a structured set of process, performance and outcome goals, and explain how that structure sustains motivation across a training program and the Performance Improvement task.