Paper

Food for Motivational Thought Questions
As the book points out, understanding motivation is critical to being a successful teacher, coach, or exercise leader. This activity will help you achieve some of that understanding.
Instructions
Answer the following questions based on your own experiences in sport and physical activity.

1. How has the direction of your effort varied in different sport, physical education, or exercise settings? Provide some examples.
- My direction has changed since high school. I have always played 3 sports my entire life, but now I am trying new activities and sports that I enjoy. For example, I would have never imagined myself enjoying playing squash. My direction is more vast.
2. How has the intensity of your effort varied in different sport, physical education, or exercise settings? Provide some examples.
- My intensity has drastically changed from when I was playing sports in high school to now. In high school I was very intense and took it a lot more seriously because I was playing for my school as a whole. Now when I play sports I am more relaxed because there is less on the line and there is also less pressure because a lot of people aren't watching.
3. What are the key points of the trait-centered view of motivation? Provide an example of what someone who holds that view might say.
- The trait centered view of motivation states that motivated behavior is primary a function of ones characteristics. For example, if someone has low self esteem and gets down on themselves constantly they would be viewed as someone who is weaker than the other athletes.
4. What are the key points of the situation-centered view of motivation? Provide an example of what someone who holds that view might say.
- The situation centered view of motivation states that motivation level is determined by situation. For example, if a game is the 4th quarter an athlete would play harder and be more motivated because the game is on the line when compared to the 1st quarter.
5. What are the key points of the interactional view of motivation? Provide an example of what someone who holds that view might say.
- The interactional view of motivation states that motivation comes from both personal and situational factors. For example, just because you have the best athletes on one team doesn't mean that they will win every game. There are other factors like team cohesion that come into play.