Apply

by Brian Sather, created Mar 8 2009 - 9:29pm, updated Jun 27 2010 - 8:00pm

Below is a list of several ways to apply knowledge of the content. This will improve learning and demonstrate understanding as well as provide valuable scholarly contributions for others. The Application Rubric contains the criteria for evaluating this and other work. See the guide for presenting work.

==ESSENTIAL APPLICATIONS==

Review of Research Literature Paper (develop this using the "Create Paper" link on the group page)

Each student must choose a sport psychology topic in conjunction with the instructor. The topic should be very specific so the student can focus on all the recent research publications about the topic. Many times broad topics have too much information available for the nature of this review of literature. The review of literature must include a thorough review of all recent primary research articles . The following guidelines are expected:

  • A modified American Psychological Association (APA) format must be used in writing the paper.
  • Carefully select sources from a library, through inter-library loan, online journal databases, web-journals, and other sources.
  • Sources must be primary reports of research (journal where actual research is reported). Examples include peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology or the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Non-research publications that are academic in nature can be used to support the dialogue but do not count toward the 5 minimum research studies in the review.
  • The content of the paper should focus on dialogue comparing and contrasting the studies as well as critiquing the analyses and methodology. For example, if you feel the author's conclusions from the research are wrong, explain why they are wrong and suggest a better conclusion. If you feel the author's methods were flawed, identify the flaws and explain how they should have been changed. Use citations and examples throughout strengthen your arguments.
  • A good paper will synthesize the information from all studies into a cohesive discussion. The tendency to focus on one article at a time should be avoided and summaries of articles, if included, should be kept to a minimum of a couple sentences.

Visit the EOU Library Website. There you will find a link titled "Research Tools" where you can search various databases. You may also find this screencast by librarian Ken Watson helpful. If you are not using an EOU internet connection, you will be required to log in using your EOU library barcode. These databases are essential as you look up articles related to your topic. For sport psychology, you will want to look at search engines such as Ebscohost, PsycNET, and Firstsearch. The following are recommended databases to search:

  • PsycNET: PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES.
  • EbscoHost: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, SPORTDiscus, ERIC. Maybe a couple others. Check the "Peer Reviewed" box to help narrow your search.

Some articles will have the full-text version so you can download and read it immediately. Others may be available to read at a nearby library. You will probably need to order some articles through inter-library loan and a copy will be emailed to you. This will take some advanced planning because it may take a week or more before the articles are delivered.

When looking for primary sources, there are many factors that should be considered. One is the reputation of the source. Many articles that have a journal in the title are periodicals that are peer-reviewed and reputable. A good practice is to look at the journal titles listed in the bibliography of your textbook. Since authors are usually leaders in their field, they will have thoughtfully chosen reliable sources for their information. Most primary research articles have the following components: abstract at the beginning, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. Articles written in this format are usually reliable primary sources when published in a reputable journal. First-hand web sources would include research papers published online in a web-based journal or university website. Use caution when using internet sources to ensure they are from a legitimate source. Secondary sources (second hand such as text books and web pages) should be avoided.

The final paper is graded using the Paper Rubric. The draft process is part of the application rubric grading. The first draft should only include reviews of one or two articles, but do include a more complete reference list. The second draft should be more comprehensive and characteristic of a nearly complete final draft.

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==RECOMMENDED APPLICATIONS==
These or similar projects should be completed. . .or make up some other applicable projects.

How You Will Apply Sport Psychology

Identify a career or careers you are interest in pursuing. Discuss how a knowledge of sport psychology will enhance your job performance. Identify various ways sport psychology will apply to your work. Also, what will be your role in understanding personality? Please provide examples in your dialogue.

Learned Helplessness (Motivation)

Imagine you take over as coach of a team that only won 3 games last year. Choose a sport and then design a program to eliminate learned helplessness in the participants. Be specific with the steps you will take to remedy this problem.

Performance Anxiety

List 3 different approaches you would use to help an athlete suffering from performance anxiety.

Reinforcement

Discuss the role of positive and negative reinforcement in dealing with athletes. Give examples of situations you think one or the other would work better. How does positive and negative reinforcement influence intrinsic motivation?

Team Building Collaboration (present this using the "Create Collaboration" link the the group page)

Work together with others to outline a plan for teambuilding. Develop a scenario like the one below and present it:

Example: You are the new high school golf coach for a team with a history of infighting and dissension. Before the season starts, you decided to take the team to a nearby outdoor youth camp in an effort to build team cohesion. The team will arrive Friday evening and return Sunday afternoon. Based on theory from the book and other sources, devise a slate of activities for the team in order to accomplish your goal. Make sure to give detailed summaries of each of the activities for the weekend.

Then, work together with your classmates to come up with ideas for the entire weekend. Use the comments section to discuss your ideas as you develop the plan in the message body. Everyone is able to edit a collaboration, so contribute directly to the page (in the body) and keep the discussion as comments. Feel free to make a note about your revisions in the revision log. As some point, the document needs to be finalized and officially presented as a completed work.

Communication

Provide a list of 5 techniques you will (or already) use as a coach to ensure effective communication with your athletes.

Psychological Skill Training

Provide a description of a hypothetical situation including an athlete in need of psychological skill training. Describe the type of needs assessment you have done (see Table 11.1) and provide a description of the athlete’s needs, based on the assessment. Also include information such as age, sport (activity), participation level, athletic ability, sex, or any other pertinent information. Then, request that others post a "solution" for your hypothetical situation. Ask for suggestions on 3-4 objectives for the athlete along with clear and measurable examples of how each objective will be accomplished (see Page 266).

Watch a Sport Psychology Movie

Choose a topic  from the class like motivation, flow, communication, cohesion, imagery, or self-confidence. Watch a movie that addresses several sport psychology themes (or pick one from the list here). Include the following in your reaction:

  • Briefly summarize the movie.
  • Explain the use of the mental skills in the movie.
  • Overview the theoretical development of the mental skill (e.g., from lecture, class notes, book, other research articles).
  • Present a critique, based on the theoretical development, of how the movie portrayed both appropriate and inappropriate strategies in developing mental skills.
  • Identify what you would do differently in working with the team, athlete, or individual portrayed in the movie.
  • Address implications for your own field. For example, how would you apply what you have learned from the movie and through theory to develop this same mental skill (e.g., goal setting) as a fitness leader?
  • Be sure to use appropriate references and include a reference page at the end of the paper.

Or, contribute more movies to the database project: click here.

Thought Stopping - Concentration

Select a sport or exercise activity situation (e.g., making a shot over the water in golf, getting up early in the morning to exercise) in which you typically find yourself thinking negatively. Answer the following questions to identify the specific nature of your negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts. (Adapted from ACEP, 1987.)

  • Describe the situation as completely as possible.
  • Identify the negative self-statements you make in this particular situation.
  • Specify a term or cue that you will use as a signal to stop your negative thoughts.
  • List four realistic, positive, and constructive self-statements that you can use to replace the negative thoughts

Goal Setting

List 5 goals for a specific exercise or sport endeavor. For each, identify which characteristics it exhibits from the list below:

  • Objective
  • Subjective
  • Outcome
  • Process
  • Performance
  • Realistic
  • Specific
  • Individual
  • Timeframe established

Outline the strength and weaknesses of the goals.

Exercise Adherance

Imagine you are a director of fitness at a health club. There is a major problem with patrons failing to adhere to their fitness programs. Design a plan of action for increasing participation and adherence to exercise programs. Be specific about the principles and examples you will use and support your ideas with the research from the textbook or other sources.

Aggression in Sport

Watch a sporting event on television or in person. Identify an example of psychological aggression. Post a summary of the aggressive behavior including the event, people involved, and a narrative of what happened. Then ask for a reply from group members on their observations what they would do as a coach or administrator to change the behavior demonstrated.