Program Overview

Program Details

The program details are as follows:

Year

2024

Credit Points

10

Campus Offering

The unit is offered at the following campuses:

• Brisbane
• Blacktown
• Melbourne
• Strathfield

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible Units

EXSD199 Psychology of Sport

Teaching Organisation

150 hours of focused learning

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

In prescribing and delivering sport performance programs, effective practice requires the use of evidence-based behavioural strategies that align with the unique needs of those in performance settings. This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of the psychological influences on performance and well-being in sport settings. Students will explore evidence-based psychological, interpersonal, and leadership skills for use in performance settings, as well as the role of psychology in contemporary sport issues.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1. Critique athletes' use of psychological skills and how they affect performance and well-being
2. Evaluate interpersonal skills and leadership practices in relation to performance and well-being
3. Examine contemporary issues in sport from a psychological perspective, including that of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
4. Understand theories and evidence underlying the psychological influences on performance and wellbeing in sport settings

Content

Topics will include:

• Mental skills for performance enhancement and well-being in sport settings
• Interpersonal skills development
• Models of leadership in sport
• Contemporary issues in sport
• Multicultural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in sport

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

The learning and teaching strategies of this unit are designed to allow students to meet the aims, learning outcomes of the unit, graduate attributes of the University, and professional accreditation standards. They are intended to reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. This unit fosters student-centred active learning and accommodates diverse student needs. It includes a combination of self-paced, online learning and real-time classes.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

In order to best enable students to achieve unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with the University assessment requirements. The assessment tasks are as follows:

• Assessment 1: Athlete Performance Task 1 (10%)
• Assessment 2: Athlete Performance Task 2 (15%)
• Assessment 3: Leadership Task (35%)
• Assessment 4: Case Study Task (40%)

Representative Texts and References

• Cecchini, Fernandez-Rio, J., Mendez-Gimenez, A., Cecchini, C., & Martins, L. (2014). Epstein's TARGET Framework and Motivational Climate in Sport: Effects of a Field-Based, Long-Term Intervention Program.
• Cheon, S.H., Reeve, J., Lee, J., & Lee, Y. (2015). Giving and receiving autonomy support in a high-stakes sport context: A field-based experiment during the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
• Hemmings, & Holder, T. (2009). Applied sport psychology: a case-based approach.
• Vella, S. A., Oades, L. G., & Crowe, T. P. (2013). A pilot test of transformational leadership training for sports coaches: Impact on the developmental experiences of adolescent athletes.
• Weinberg, & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (7th edition).
• Williams, & Krane, V. (2021). Applied sport psychology: personal growth to peak performance (8th edition).