Republic Polytechnic
Continuing Education & Training
Course Structure for Course III: Sports & Exercise Psychology
Module
Description
Sports and Exercise
Psychology
This module focuses on the psychological and social factors related to participation in sports and exercise. The broad ranging topics
includes goal setting in sport, motivation, concentration, imagery and self-talk, arousal, stress and anxiety and the application of
psychological skills training on performance management Socio-psychological concepts such as aggression, leadership and team
cohesion will also be covered to provide a comprehensive view of human behavior in a sports setting.
In examining these issues, one will realize that human behavior is complex and dynamic- that is not easy to find simple and final answers.
Hence, through this module, it aims to help you recognize the complexities and raises questions, and to be able to apply the guidelines
based on best available knowledge to enhance the sports and exercise experiences for all.
Lesson
Topics
Learning Objectives
Lesson Plan
Assessment Criteria
1
Personality & Individual
Differences
 motivation
 self-confidence
 self-efficacy
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Lecture
 Defining personality
Personality structures (schematic view)
 Defining Motivation
 Various approaches to personality
- Psychodynamic approach
- Trait
- Situation
- Interactional
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Understanding Personality structures
Understand concept of motivation
Appreciate the various theories of personality
Appreciate the various theories of motivation
Understand how one’s motivation is influenced by
one’s personality
Develop strategies to enhance motivation in various
settings
Lecture (30mins)
Case study 1 (30mins)
Break (20mins)
Lecture (30mins)
Case study 2 (30mins)
Assessment (20mins)
Conclusion / Q & A
(10mins)
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2
Attributions /
Concentration
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Guide students to make attributions that would
result in increased motivation, confidence and
perseverance.
Prevent occurrence of learned helplessness in
students/ athletes by adopting strategies for
effective attributions.
Devise strategies to change maladaptive attributions
made by students/athletes.
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Introduction and
assessment (5min)
Pre-trigger activity (5min)
Lecture and discussion on
attribution theory
(30min)
Case study (10min)
Quiz 1 – Attribution
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Motivation Theories
- Needs (Maslow’s Hierarchy)
- Achievement
- Attribution
- Achievement Goal
- Competence motivation
Class participation and discussion on
case studies (10%)
Quiz 1– (40%)
Quiz 2 – (40%)
o MCQ and open-ended
o Open book (students may
refer to notes)
RJ (10%)
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Apply effective concentration principles to enhance
performance in personal or sporting context.
Identify common problems faced in concentration.
Develop strategies to reduce concentration
problems.
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3
Stress, Arousal, Anxiety
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4
MST (1)
 Self-talk
 Imagery
 Visualization
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(30min)
Break (10min)
Pre-trigger activity (5min)
Lecture and discussion on
concentration (30min)
Case study (10min)
Concentration exercises
(5min)
Quiz 2 – Concentration
(30 min)
RJ (10 min)
o
o
o
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Clarity
Self-awareness (reflect on
personal experience)
Critical Analysis
Insight & Creativity
Measure anxiety using self-report measures.
Identify sources of stress and direct it as positive
energy.
Tailor personal strategies to tackle “stressors” in
application to daily life.
 Lecture – 30min
- Concepts of arousal,
stress and anxiety.
- Sources of stress and
anxiety
- Trait anxiety, state
anxiety, cognitive and
somatic anxiety.
 Case study 1 – 30min
 Break – 20min
 Lecture – 30min
- Stress, a double-edged
sword. Does it help?
Does it harm?
 Case Study 2 – 30min
 Quiz – 30min
 Lesson Wrap-up – 10min
 Quiz incorporating MCQs, short answer
questions and an open-ended question
(40%)
 Group Work (40%)
 Discussion (20%)
Gain an understanding of the concept of ‘self-talk’ ,
the different types of ‘self-talk’, the mechanism
through which self-talk works
Gain an understanding of the concept of imagery,
the different types of imagery’, the mechanism
through which imagery works, and the skills to
develop an imagery script to suit the athlete’s needs
Gain an understanding of the concept of
visualization and the mechanism through which
visualization works
Be equipped with the skills to develop and
implement an effective PST/MST program involving
self-talk and/or imagery, and/or visualization.
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Demonstration of understanding through
active participation in class discussions
( case-studies, research article discussions
etc).- 30%
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Definition of ‘self-talk’
and types of ‘self-talk’
Mechanism through
which self-talk works
Scope of self-talk
Tailor an MST involving
self-talk
Defining ‘Imagery’
Factors that influence
imagery
Scope of imagery
Tailor an imagery script/
Worksheet: 30%
Assignment: Successful development of
MST program involving self-talk and/or
imagery and/or visualization (for an athlete
with Attention/concentration problems.
Not to exceed 100 words. Essay to
showcase mechanism through which self-
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5
MST (2)
 Focus techniques
 Psych-up/Psychdown regulation
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Acknowledge various Focus techniques, Psych-up
techniques, and Psych-down techniques and the
mechanism through which these techniques work
Be equipped with the skills to develop and
implement an effective PST/MST program involving
Focus techniques and/or Psych-up techniques
and/or Psych-down techniques
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6
Group Dynamics and
Leadership
Cohesion
 Appreciate the various theories of cohesion
 Recognize the different stages of group
development to form a team
 Recognize how team cohesion can enhance team
performance in sports
Communication
 Understand the communication process
 Recognize the importance of effective
communication in various scenarios
 How to deal with confrontation
Leadership
 Appreciate the various theories of leadership
 Understand the role of team leader in relation to his
team
 Suggest strategies to improve leadership
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imagery training program
Define visualization
talk and imagery/and or visualization work
in aiding concentration. To be submitted
+3days via e-mail to Sanjana_Kiran@rp.sg)40%
Techniques that help
improve focus/attention/
concentration
Mechanism through
which
focus/attention/concentr
ation techniques work
Psych-up techniques
Mechanism through
which Psych-up
techniques
techniques work
Psych-down Techniques
Mechanism through
which Psych-down
techniques work
Demonstration of understanding through
active participation in class discussions
( case-studies, research article discussions
etc).- 30%
Lecture (30mins)
Case study 1 (30mins)
Break (20mins)
Lecture (30mins)
Case study 2 (30mins)
Assessment (20mins)
Conclusion / Q & A
(10mins)
Lecture
Cohesion
 Defining the term ‘Cohesion’ – Task vs
Social cohesion
 Appreciating Carron’s Conceptual
model of cohesion
 Factors underlying cohesion / team
building (understanding how cohesion
can enhance team performance)
Communication
 Various forms of Communication and
the process (Encoding, decoding,
response)
 Importance of effective communication
– why?
 Strategies to improve communication
Worksheet: 30%
Assignment: Successful development of
MST program involving Psych-up
techniques
(for an athlete with motivation problems)
OR Successful development of MST
program involving Psych-down techniques
(for an athlete with anxiety problems). Not
to exceed 1000 words. Essay to showcase
mechanism through which Psych-up/Psychdown techniques work in aiding
motivation/anxiety issues. To be submitted
+3days via e-mail to Sanjana_Kiran@rp.sg)40%
effectiveness
(Focus to be on athletes)
Leadership
 Understanding the various approaches
to leadership
- Trait
- Behavioural
- Interactional
- The Multi-dimensional model
Assessment
Case studies (meant to illicit response and
class participation)
7
Understanding of Self
Goal Setting
 Sporting context
 Personal (home
/work)
 Context
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Differentiate and set outcome, performance and
process goals in personal and sporting contexts.
 Set goals that caters to different personalities and
motivations.
 Devise strategies to overcome problems in goalsetting.
 Apply effective goal-setting principles in real life
situations.
Design a goal setting system.
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8
Performance
Enhancement
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Gain an understanding of the various approaches to
psychological intervention, the importance of
PST/MST, the ‘myths’ about PST/MST and the
mechanism through which PST/MST work
Be equipped with the skills to develop and
implement an effective PST/MST program.
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Introduction and briefing
on assessment criteria
(5min)
Lecture and discussion on
principles, theories and
application of case
studies (45min)
Break (10min)
Group work on case
studies – design goalsetting system (20min)
Short presentation
(60min~ about 10 min for
each group)
Quiz + RJ (40min)
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Approaches to
Psychological
Intervention
Concepts and Principles
of PST
Scope of PST/MST
Myths and facts of
PST/MST
Administration of
Demonstration of understanding through
active participation in class discussions
( case-studies, research article discussions
etc).- 15%
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Class participation (10%)
Presentation (40%)
o Application of goal-setting
principles ~10%
o Design of goal-setting system
~10%
o Feasibility of solution to case
study ~10%
o Presentation and
communication ~10%
Quiz –MCQ and open-ended (40%)
o MCQ and open-ended
o Open book (students may
refer to notes)
RJ (10%)
o Clarity
o Self-awareness (reflect on
personal experience)
o Critical Analysis
o Insight & Creativity
Worksheet: 15%
Assignment : “factors to consider when
developing a MST/PST program”. (Not
PST/MST
9
Potential pitfalls,
prevention and
rehabilitation
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10
Social and Ethical Issues
Identify concepts like overtraining, staleness and
burnout can be defined in the context of work and
sport.
Analyze that athletic injuries can happen even to a
normal individual and not just the high-level
athlete.
Use the overtraining process framework to
diagnose and tailor personal strategies to cope with
injuries/burnout.
Establish that as sports-playing individuals, we have
a role to play in keeping sports drug-free. Able to
outline some strategies to help individuals deal with
substance abuse.
Social issues
 Identify and understand the various social issues
related to an athlete’s gender
 Identify and understand the social issues related to
an athlete’s cultural background
 Tailor strategies to help athletes cope with social
issues
Ethical issues
 Understand the importance of ‘confidentiality’
 Understand the importance of ‘informed consent’
more than 100 words. To be submitted
+3days via e-mail to Sanjana_Kiran@rp.sg)20%
 Lecture – 30min
- Concepts of
overtraining,
staleness and
burnout.
- Factors and
strategies to address
staleness and
burnout.
- Psychological factors
and reactions to
athletic injuries.
 Case study 1 – 30min
 Break – 20min
 Lecture – 30min
- Substance abuse. It’s
prevalence in society.
- Sport-performance
drugs vs recreational
drugs.
 Case Study 2 – 30min
 Quiz – 30min
 Lesson Wrap-up – 10min
 Quiz incorporating MCQs, short answer
questions and an open-ended question
(40%)
 Group Work (40%)
 Discussion (20%)
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Lecture
Social issues
 Sociology of gender and its effects on
athletes
 Understanding the effects of culture
and social background on an athlete
 Appreciating strategies used to help
athlete overcome such disparities.
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Lecture (30mins)
Case study 1 (20mins)
Break (20mins)
Lecture (30mins)
Assignment 1 (30mins)
Assessment (Essay)
(30mins)
Conclusion / Q & A
(10mins)
Ethical issues
 Understanding ‘Confidentiality’ and
‘ informed consent’
Assessment
 Assignment 1 is designed to get
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students to come up with relevant
strategies to help athletes in need.
Case studies (meant to illicit response
and class participation)