Motivation: Implications for Coaching & Teaching

Robert Barney was Professor of Physical Education at the University of Western Ontario in London.

A sport psychologist I am not! However, I am a long-time teacher (25 years) and a former coach (15 years). Stemming from my own personal experience is the belief that one of the absolutely critical keys to better performance, whether on the athletic field or in the classroom, is motivation. Although there is nothing abstract about the literal meaning of the word motivation (from the Latin movere, meaning to move), there is everything abstract about motivation in terms of its being observable or measurable. Motivation, in fact, can only be inferred indirectly from human behaviour. Dr. Albert V. Cannon, a recognized authority in sport psychology and a specialist expert in psychology’s sub-area, motivation, has undertaken to present a straightforward explanation of how the teacher/coach can influence motivation in learners and athletes. Carron’s messages are readily understandable to both expert and layman. Based on established research findings, Cannon offers general propositions which, when applied to the teaching/coaching process, should produce the desirable behaviour outcomes — i.e., improved performance.

In Carron’s book, the frame of reference springs from an established psychological principle, which states that motivated behaviour is a product of two factors: 1) personal factors exhibited by the performer, and 2) situational factors present in the performer’s environment. Expanding on this principle, Carron’s material deals with motivational factors that the teacher/coach can influence, and those that s/he cannot influence in the effort to produce desired behaviour.

The general format of the book follows an identical sequential pattern for each major theme. Thus, the reader will have no difficulty absorbing and understanding: 1) a brief introduction to each theme under discussion, 2) research-based generalizations (called propositions), and 3) implications for the coaching/teaching process. Further, Cannon’s light style of prose is refreshing from an academic. When he writes about motivation and such things as rewards, goal setting, the practice session, social reinforcement, leadership, the presence of others, competition, the team, expectations, etc., one can grasp the messages without any laborious deciphering of language. Complementing the prose are a number of graphs and diagrams, which spell out in explicit pictorial fashion what the prose explains in a literary manner. Suggested readings and a comprehensive bibliography accompany the text and will be a valuable springboard for those who want to delve even further into the area of motivation.

In a world where sport performance and learning performance are becoming increasingly important, the subject of motivation, and how it might be effected, is critically meaningful. In fact, enough evidence is now at hand to suggest that the major gains in sport and learning performance in the years ahead will be stimulated more by the application of psychological research than by discoveries in hard science — in effect, an argument for the value of “mind over matter.” Within the broad area of sport psychology, motivation emerges as an area of inquiry and study about which more coaches/teachers should be aware. Dr. Cannon’s work will help immeasurably in the understanding and awareness of the intricacies and value of motivational techniques.