Students learn about:

• Motivation
  • Positive and negative
  • Intrinsic and extrinsic
    
    
• Anxiety and arousal
  • Trait and state anxiety
  • Sources of stress
  • Optimum arousal
    
    
• Psychological strategies to enhance motivation and manage anxiety
  • Concentration/attention skills (focusing)
  • Mental rehearsal/visualization/imagery
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Goal-setting.

Students learn to:

• Evaluate performance scenarios to determine the appropriate forms of motivation, eg golf versus boxing
• Explain the difference between anxiety and arousal in terms of the effects on performance
• Research case studies of athletes from different sports and ascertain the nature of their motivation and the psychological strategies they employ.

Extract from PDHPE Stage 6 Syllabus. © 2009 Board of Studies NSW.