This is a core module in Sport Science and Exercise, Nutrition & Health degree pathways, and offered as an option on the Sports Analysis & Coaching degree pathway. The module seeks to enable students to further understand the psychological influences on human behaviour in sport and exercise environments. These topics will be introduced within lectures, further examined within seminar, workshop and practical sessions, and supplemented with additional online material.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
In building upon the introduction to psychological concepts that students will have gained from the pre-requisite to this module, this module will look to both extend knowledge of some of these existing topics, and complement these with additional topics. These content of the module will be broadly divided into those aspects that deal with social psychology in sport and exercise, the psychology (and development) of the individual in sport and exercise settings and exercise psychology. These areas will typically include the following topics;
This module consists of lectures that will introduce and examine essential topics and concepts. Seminars will be used to allow students to further consolidate their understanding of the topics and to encourage peer communication and discussion. Scheduled practical sessions will allow students to examine the relationship between theory and practice and to examine more critically the role of scientific methodologies and the process of reporting scientific findings. In order to further support students learning, additional material such as key readings and lecture materials will be provided online in addition to study tasks designed to promote the development of independent study skills.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Lead lectures (48h) Seminars (16h) Practical sessions (6h) | 70 |
| Guided independent study | 230 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
Lecture, seminar, workshop and practical sessions will provide practical feed forward guidance and formative experimental opportunities to help students achieve their full potential in the summative assessments. Example formative assessment includes (but is not limited to) group discussion, peer evaluation, group tasks and presentations in seminar and workshop sessions. Typical formative assessment opportunities include a mock presentation session and a peer-reviewed exam practice session. These formative tasks will allow students to monitor both progress through feedback from peers and feed forward advice to develop understanding and application for summative assessment. The learning outcomes for the module will be summatively assessed in three ways; using a group presentation addressing key concepts examined on the module; an individually assessed executive summary of this presentation; and a formal written examination typically comprising of a combination both short answer and essay style questions.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| 1) Discuss theories of sport and exercise psychology; | Group presentation, executive summary and examination (S). Also formatively assessed in seminar tasks/discussions (F) |
| 2) Demonstrate how psychological theories can be applied to sport and exercise settings; | Group presentation, executive summary and examination (S). Also formatively assessed in seminar tasks/discussions (F) |
| 3) Critically discuss methodological issues related to sport and exercise psychology research and limitations of theories in sport and exercise psychology; | Group presentation, executive summary and examination (S). Also formatively assessed in seminar tasks/discussions (F) |
| 4) Demonstrate key skills of communication(group discussions; making a presentation; reading, selecting, extracting, and collating information from appropriate sources; produce written materials), numeracy (data collection; recording data, evaluating data; performing calculations), ICT (produce a document that incorporates and combines different types of information; search for, retrieve, and store information using ICT resources), teamwork, and develop independent learning skills. | Group presentation, executive summary and examination (S). Also formatively assessed in seminar tasks/discussions (F) |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Formal exam | Written exam | 40 |
| Group presentation | Practical exam | 30 |
| Executive summary | Coursework | 30 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any major element of assessment is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Biddle, S. J. H. & Mutrie, N. (2008). Psychology of physical activity: Determinants, well-being and interventions (2nd Edition). New York, NY: Routledge.
Cox, R. H. (2011). Sport Psychology: Concepts and Application. (7th Edition). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Horn, T.S. (2008). Advances in Sport Psychology (3rd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics:
Buckworth, J. & Dishman, R.K. (2002). Exercise Psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Faulkner, G.E.J. & Taylor, A.H. (Eds.) (2005). Exercise, Health and Mental Health: Emerging Relationships. Oxon, U.K.: Routledge.
Gill, D.L. & Williams, L. (2008) Psychological dynamics of sport and exercise (3rd Edition). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Horn, T.S. (2008). Advances in Sport Psychology (3rd Edition). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics:
Jowett, S., & Lavallee, D. (Eds.), (2007). Social Psychology in Sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Lavallee, D., & Wylleman, P. (Eds.), (2000). Career Transitions in Sport: International Perspectives. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.
Weinberg, R. & Gould, D. (2011). Foundations of sport and Exercise Psychology (5th Edition). Champaign IL: Human Kinetics.
Weiss, M. (Ed.). (2004) Developmental Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Lifespan Perspective. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.