Sample Answer 

• Initial participation is often triggered by extrinsic factors such as social encouragement from friends or family, providing the external motivation needed to overcome inertia or uncertainty about joining.
• Tangible extrinsic benefits like health improvements or weight management goals frequently motivate beginners who haven’t yet developed skill-based enjoyment of the activity.
• As participants develop competence, intrinsic satisfaction from skill mastery and movement enjoyment begins to supplement external factors, creating multiple motivational pathways.
• Long-term involvement typically depends on the development of intrinsic motivational factors, particularly social connections within the sporting community and personal identity association with the activity.

Sample Answer 

• Intrinsic motivation is self-perpetuating because satisfaction comes from the activity itself rather than external rewards, allowing participation to continue even when recognition or tangible rewards diminish.
• External rewards often need to become bigger or more frequent over time to keep motivating athletes, making them difficult to sustain in the long run.
• Athletes who enjoy the activity itself tend to focus more on improving their skills and understanding the technical aspects, which gives them ongoing satisfaction as they master new techniques.
• Intrinsic motivation generates psychological ownership of participation decisions, with athletes taking responsibility for their own development rather than depending on external direction.
• Research consistently demonstrates that individuals maintaining long-term participation in sport typically cite enjoyment, personal challenge, and social connection (intrinsic factors) as their primary motivators, while extrinsic factors become less influential over time.

Sample Answer 

• Coaches should establish progressive, achievable challenges that allow athletes to experience regular success, building confidence through visible skill development rather than emphasising competitive outcomes.
• Providing specific, genuine praise focused on effort and process rather than natural ability reinforces desired behaviors while promoting growth mindset and resilience.
• Creating supportive training environments where mistakes are treated as learning opportunities rather than failures helps athletes maintain a positive approach to skill development and risk-taking.

Sample Answer 

• Intrinsically motivated athletes typically respond to failure by analysing performance for improvement opportunities, maintaining engagement with the sport through focusing on process rather than outcome.
• Extrinsically motivated athletes often experience significant motivation decreases following failure, particularly when external rewards are performance-contingent rather than participation-based.
• Athletes with high task orientation view success through the lens of personal improvement and skill execution quality, enabling them to experience satisfaction even when competitive results are suboptimal.
• Those with strong ego orientation may devalue successes that don’t receive external recognition, potentially limiting their performance satisfaction and requiring escalating rewards to maintain motivation.
• Intrinsic motivation creates resilience following failure by generating alternative sources of satisfaction beyond competitive outcomes, exemplified by athletes who acknowledge technique improvements despite losing competitions.
• The attribution patterns following failure differ significantly between motivational orientations, with intrinsically motivated athletes more likely to attribute setbacks to controllable, specific factors that can be addressed through training adjustments.

Sample Answer 

• Task orientation reflects intrinsic motivation where athletes focus on skill mastery, personal improvement and the process of learning, leading to sustained effort regardless of competitive outcomes.
• Ego orientation aligns with extrinsic motivation where success is defined by outperforming others or achieving external recognition, potentially undermining persistence when winning becomes unlikely.
• Task-oriented athletes evaluate their performance against personal standards and previous achievements, maintaining motivation through visible improvement rather than competitive ranking.
• Ego-oriented athletes tend to select competitions where success is guaranteed when confidence is low but may avoid valuable development opportunities that risk failure, limiting their long-term growth potential.

Sample Answer 

• Negative motivation through threats or fear of punishment creates psychological pressure that can lead to indecision and risk aversion during competition, as athletes focus on avoiding failure rather than achieving success.
• Athletes motivated primarily by fear often experience reduced creativity and innovation in their performance, defaulting to safe, predictable approaches rather than optimal strategic choices.
• While negative motivation may produce short-term performance improvements, sustained use typically erodes an athlete’s confidence and self-belief, creating a destructive cycle that undermines long-term development.
• The stress associated with negative motivational approaches can increase performance anxiety, causing physical symptoms like muscle tension that directly impair technical execution.
• Athletes experiencing predominantly negative motivation are more likely to discontinue participation when external pressures are removed, as their intrinsic enjoyment of the activity has been diminished by associating performance with avoiding negative consequences.

Sample Answer 

• For young beginners, extrinsic motivation through small tangible rewards like certificates or badges provides immediate reinforcement that initiates participation
• For example, junior swim programs where achievements are visibly recognised.
• As skills develop, gradual introduction of intrinsic motivational elements through emphasising the joy of movement and skill mastery helps children transition from purely external rewards.
• For example, youth coaches who celebrate technical improvements rather than just competitive outcomes.
• Adolescent athletes benefit from balanced motivational approaches where external recognition acknowledges their heightened social awareness while fostering internal satisfaction.
• For example, team sports where both individual improvement and team success are valued.
• Intrinsic motivation becomes increasingly important during performance plateaus, when external rewards may diminish as progress slows, requiring athletes to find satisfaction in the process of refinement.
• For example, gymnasts working extensively on subtle technical improvements.
• Elite athletes often demonstrate high intrinsic motivation through autonomous training habits and perseverance, yet still benefit from strategic external motivators.
• For example, career milestones or financial incentives that align with their internal values.
• The timing of extrinsic rewards significantly impacts their effectiveness, with unexpected recognition having less detrimental effect on intrinsic motivation than anticipated rewards.
• For  example, studies where surprise acknowledgment enhanced rather than undermined internal drive.
• Creating motivational environments that support competence, autonomy and relatedness facilitates internalisation of initially extrinsic motives, transforming external regulations into identified or integrated regulations.
• For example, professional development programs that gradually shift focus from outcomes to process.
• Long-term sport participation is ultimately best sustained by intrinsic motivation, with successful athletes often citing love of their sport as their primary driver, while those motivated predominantly by external factors typically experience earlier burnout or retirement.

Sample Answer 

• Intrinsic motivation is self-sustaining as it generates satisfaction from the activity itself, enabling athletes to continue participation even without external recognition or rewards.
• Athletes who are intrinsically motivated focus on personal improvement and competence development, which creates an ongoing cycle of challenge and achievement that sustains interest.
• Because intrinsic motivation is tied to enjoyment of the process rather than outcomes, it creates resilience that helps athletes persevere through setbacks or plateaus in performance.

Sample Answer 

• Coaches can provide verbal praise and recognition when athletes perform skills correctly or show improvement, reinforcing desired behaviors and building confidence.
• Implementing achievement recognition systems such as “player of the match” awards acknowledges effort and skill, encouraging continued participation through valued external rewards.
• Creating progress charts that visually demonstrate skill development provides tangible evidence of improvement that motivates athletes to continue striving for measurable goals.
• Facilitating positive crowd feedback through encouraging supportive spectator environments creates external reinforcement that enhances athletes’ performance satisfaction and participation desire.

Sample Answer 

• Positive motivation involves performing well because of rewards or positive reinforcement, such as praise from a coach or feeling good about improvement, creating a sustainable drive for participation.
• Negative motivation occurs when athletes perform to avoid negative consequences, such as being dropped from a team or criticised, which can undermine confidence and creativity.
• While both motivational types may produce short-term performance improvements, positive motivation is generally more effective for sustained participation as it builds confidence rather than fear of failure.