Assignment Task:
Title: Critically examine the assertion that anxiety is beneficial to competitive sport performance. Setting the scene: There exists, much research that has attempted to enhance our understanding of how anxiety can affect sport
performance, both in practice and in competitive settings. It is well known that sport has the potential to heighten levels of anxiety, but it has been shown, that some amount is not always a negative thing and in fact, can bring about adaptive consequences. Practicing and employing a range of psychological strategies can be beneficial for anxiety management which in turn can promote a positive relation with other psychological constructs (e.g., motivation, commitment, cohesion) and ultimately ensures optimal performance results. However, if anxiety is not managed by the athlete, research has shown this can lead to maladaptive functioning and poor performance.
Task: A qualitative report is an explanation/examination of an event, experience or phenomenon. In this case, you are required to write a 2,000-word report, grounded in sport psychology theory and literature/research regarding the above title/topic[s], that critically examines the anxiety-performance (and well-being) relationship in sport.
This assignment assesses the following learning outcomes:
a) Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of how key psychological constructs operate in sport and impact athlete wellbeing in sport and performance settings.
c) Critically evaluate the evidence to explain the importance of, and strategies for, developing key psychological constructs influencing wellbeing in sport and performance settings.
e) Through the use of technology and qualitative reporting, identify, select, and justify approaches from predefined and self-generated sources to implement ethically sound solutions to a given task related to sport and exercise psychology
