Discussion Board Activities - Module 4

1.  4.85 Discussion Board Activity
2.  4.95 Discussion Board Activity
3.  Online Application Journal

You will probably want to print this page so that you have the assignment in front of you as you interact in the conference rooms.   

4.85 Discussion Board Activity

Within your team (Comets, Liberty, Monarchs, etc.), you are to discuss the following questions:

• Based on the readings, what are the factors that may lead to (a) logical attributions, (b) self-serving attributions, or (c) self-defeating attributions? 

• Based on the readings, what are the consequences of attributing success and failure to reasons that might be classified as (a) logical, (b) self-serving, or (c) self-defeating? These consequences may be related to performance, feelings about one's performance, motivation to continue to participate, etc.

This is a small-group discussion, so your initial post may initiate the discussion and/or relate your thoughts to the posts of others.  In addition, since it is a discussion, you would not simply assign various pieces of the assignment to various team members.  As in the past, these should be substantive posts, but they don't have to be long to be substantive.

By Sunday, February 18, 2007: 
At least by this date, post your initial substantive message in your team's conference room.  As you and your teammates discuss these questions in your conference room, begin to construct a list of implications for the behavior of teachers, coaches, athletic trainers, and/or others working with individuals in performance situations where attributions for successful and unsuccessful performances are made.  Think in terms of general implications and then give specific examples.  

Over the years I have discovered that some students have difficulty in understanding - that is, I have difficulty in communicating - what I mean by "implications." Implications are the "so whats."  

In this conference room activity, what I expect is that your team will come up with six or more things (behaviors, strategies, ways of interacting, etc.) that we as teachers/coaches/parents/etc. might DO to promote healthy attributional behaviors in those with whom we come in contact.

Most of us would agree that confidence in the future, optimistic realism, strong self-confidence, and pride in a job well done are desirable. How might we help influence the attributions of others to attain these desirable outcomes? For example, how do our own attributions for their successes and failures influence their attributions and their behavior?

The six implications are really the "so whats?"  Ask yourself: "Now that I know this principle or concept, how can I use it?  How might it change the way I think, feel, or behave?"  "What implications or influence might/should it have on my behavior, my expectations of others, or the way I interact with others?"

My expectation is that you will each visit and post in your conference room often (maybe daily), that there will be a "conversation" among the team members, and that at some stage you may even want to "chat" about the topic in our course Chat room.   

By Tuesday, February 20, 2007:
Post your team's list of at least six implications under Implications in Discussion Board.  In the summary post, you should give the general implication followed by a specific example.  Individually, respond to the posts of two other teams. Use the same teams you have been using throughout the semester (Comets, Liberty, Monarchs, etc.).

4.95 Discussion Board Activity

This assignment has been slightly modified from the original 4.95 Discussion Board Activity on the course website.

This Discussion Board activity isn't a contest to see who can come up with the most attributionally-challenged athlete.  Although, now that I think about it, I can see how it might!  Anyway, the first part of this activity is for each of you, within your teams, to describe the behaviors of an athlete or student or exerciser or ???? who might benefit from attribution re-training. (No names of athletes, please.) After each member has submitted a worthy candidate, the team members select one candidate for causal attribution re-training.  Based on the textbook readings, the research articles summarized on the course website, and any other information that you might find on one of those sport psychology websites, all team members are to work together to design an attribution re-training program for this athlete.  In order for this to work, you will need to post on or before the due dates so as not to hold back the entire team.  Again, this is a discussion among members (not an assigned responsibility of someone in the group) although someone will need to take responsibility for the final post to the conference room Discussion Board. Decide among yourselves who posts the final product.

By Wednesday, February 21, 2007:
Begin discussions of athletes or students or exercisers or ???? who might benefit from attribution re-training within your team discussion rooms (Comets, Liberty, Monarchs, etc.).

By Thursday, February 22, 2007:
Within your teams, select one of the candidates for attribution re-retraining and begin to discuss elements of the attribution re-training program.

By Monday, February 26, 2007:
Post your team's re-training program under Attribution Re-Training in Discussion Board.  In that post, include a description of the individual's need for attribution re-training, the program developed by the team, and the intended outcome of the program (How you will know that it was successful?).  Individually, comment on the posts of two or three other teams.

Online Application Journal 

By Wednesday, February 28, 2007: 
Post your journal entry to your appropriate journal group in our Groups.   Respond to the journal posts of all other members in your group.