IB Sports, exercise and health science C.3.3.1 Motivational Climate Impacts Performance Through Mastery and Ego Approaches Notes

Motivational climate shapes perceived success

1. Motivation influences an individual's decision to engage in physical activities or maintain an active lifestyle.
2. Motivational climate refers to the environmental factors shaping an individual's perception of competence and goal-setting.
3. Success can be perceived in two ways:
   1. Self-improvement and mastery, focusing on effort and personal growth.
   2. Comparison with others, measuring success based on outperforming peers.
4. Climate is created by coach behaviour: the way they design tasks, give instructions, and deliver feedback determines what athletes pay attention to and what counts as success in that session.
5. Two recognised climates dominate the research: a mastery climate (effort, cooperation, improvement) and an ego climate (winning at all costs, comparison, outperforming others).
6. Ames (1992) and the research that followed show that perceived climate influences what athletes think, feel, and do.

Mastery Climate: Focus on Growth and Improvement

1. A mastery climate emphasizes:
   1. Personal improvement: Success is measured by progress and effort.
   2. Effort and learning: Mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn.
   3. Cooperation: Teamwork and mutual support are prioritized.
2. Self-referenced standard: success is judged against the athlete's own previous performance, not against a teammate, so mistakes become information about where to drill next.

Outcomes Linked to a Mastery Climate

1. Higher intrinsic motivation and a preference for challenging tasks.
2. Greater enjoyment, with lower boredom and anxiety.
3. Stronger self-rated improvement and continued involvement in the sport.
4. Mastery climates push athletes toward task goal orientation and reinforce the belief that success is the product of effort rather than fixed ability.

Ego Climate: Focus on Winning and Comparison

1. An ego climate emphasizes:
   1. Comparison with others: Success is defined by outperforming teammates or opponents.
   2. Winning at all costs: The outcome is more important than the process.
   3. Public recognition: Praise is given to top performers, often in front of others.

Outcomes Linked to an Ego Climate

1. Can produce short bursts of intense effort, especially in athletes who already feel confident and capable.
2. Higher worry and preoccupation with social status.
3. Lower persistence and a tendency to attribute failure to low ability rather than to controllable effort.
4. Predicts performance spikes in the short term but anxiety, dropout, and shallow learning over a season.