Module Information

Module Identifier
BR15110
Module Title
Foundations of Sport Psychology
Academic Year
2017/2018
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Other Staff

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Tutorial 1 x 1 Hour Tutorial
Lecture 11 x 1 Hour Lectures
Workshop 1 x 2 Hour Workshop
Seminar 5 x 1 Hour Seminars
Practical 4 x 1 Hour Practicals
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Written essay  (500 words)  20%
Semester Assessment Poster presentation - A3 size  (600 words max)  30%
Semester Assessment Written essay  (1000 words)  50%
Supplementary Assessment Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module.  100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate advanced level knowledge and understanding of theories and principles in sport psychology.

2. Appropriately evaluate sources of information.

3. Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions in written &/or oral formats to specialist &/or non-specialist audiences.

4. Gather and use information from a range of sources.

Brief description

The main aim of the course is to provide an introductory examination of the key psychological factors that affect – and are a consequence of – sport performance. This module will inspire students to include psychology alongside physiology and biomechanics in their developing conception of the sport and exercise sciences. The module will introduce students to key concepts in sport psychology through the consideration of relevant theories, seminal and key research studies in this area and, where appropriate at this level, practical application.

Content

Introduction to the study of sport psychology at Aberystwyth University.
Personality and sport: individual differences in the sporting experience.
Motivation for sport practice and competition.
Character development in and through sport.
Sports team dynamics: we do not participate in a vacuum!
Arousal, stress and emotions.
Self-confidence and self-efficacy for sport.
Mock ‘coaching practice’ conference (poster presentations).
Introduction to psychological skills training: psychological techniques > psychological skills > psychological qualities.
Psychological skills training (e.g., arousal regulation, imagery, goal-setting, and attentional skills).
Module re-cap and a look forward to year two.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number Performance data will be collected and analysed to test research hypotheses that students generate.
Communication Students will evaluate information and data and develop the ability to communicate their ideas about sport psychology to each other. These skills readily transfer to employment circumstances.
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will peer-assess their classmates' posters – an opportunity to learn about best practice and reflect on their own practices. Students will receive feedback on assessment components 1 and 2 which they will be expected to act on for 3 and 4, although this will not be explicitly assessed.
Information Technology Students will use various presentation software for their coursework and Microsoft Excel to answer basic questions of data they will collect.
Personal Development and Career planning PDP skills are implicit in the nature of the module – they will be given ideas about potential career paths and they will develop personal skills that will be helpful whatever path they ultimately take, psychological or otherwise.
Problem solving Weekly seminar/practical tasks and the module assignments will assess students' ability – individually and in small groups – to solve a variety of sport psychology "problems." These skills readily transfer to employment circumstances.
Research skills Students will develop these skills through set tasks that relate to and are designed to consolidate their understanding of the taught content. These skills readily transfer to employment circumstances.
Subject Specific Skills Research design, data collection, hypothesis generation, basic data analysis and interpretation.
Team work A variety of team-based tasks will be included in the module.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4