Final+Proposal


 * //Senior Seminar Formal Proposal//**
 * Title: Internal and External Motivation**


 * Name: Alexia Tomlinson **

** Background ** - When choosing a topic for senior seminar I wanted to be sure that my topic interested me enough to study it for an entire semester. I also wanted to try to work my project around something I was already committed to. Since I love coaching soccer, I found an interesting academic study that would enable me to use my coaching in the project and help me become a better coach at the same time. I chose to study the effects of certain types of motivation on young athletes; is it better both psychologically and physical results for athletes to be motivated internally or externally? I also want to know how motivation can be applied (by coaches, parents and players) to help produce the best results.

** Vision ** - This project is extremely important to me. Not only because I will learn a good deal about psychology and motivation but also because it will allow me to become a much better coach to the soccer and swim teams that I coach. I hope to use my research to improve my coaching ability and to make the experience more enjoyable for the kids on the team. I will be able to improve my coaching skills because this paper addresses not only the effects of motivation but also the way motivation can correctly be employed to produce better physical and psychological results. I hope to present as an answer to this question, a paper addressing the effects of motivation, a video which includes my work with the U11 Springfield Storm, and a presentation which brings these aspects together and shows how motivation can and should be used by coaches. Goals ** -
 * 1) Videotape Storm practices and games, being sure to use different motivational types (showing differences between internal and external)
 * 2) Put video together, including interviews and game/practice clips
 * 3) Write paper early! This is a major thing for me because I like to procrastinate, so making sure that I finish my paper early will be a big step to help eliminate this.
 * 4) An A on this project. Does this count as a goal, because it is certainly important to me.
 * 5) Improve myself as a coach, so that I can better help the girls on the soccer team I coach and the kids on the summer swim team I coach.


 * Products ** - Along with the mandatory presentation, I will also produce a video which shows the work I have put into the U11 Springfield Storm. This video will include practices, short interviews with players and games.

For the paper itself, I need more information on the effects of different types of motivation (both internal and external). I have asked Mr. Weidner for help in this area, since he is the psychology teacher, and his collection of articles on different areas of psychology have been extremely useful, I plan to continue looking through these resources to gather more information. I would like to finish most of my research by the time the first draft is due, so that while writing my final paper I only have to look up details to add to the complexity of the paper. Name:** Jenifer Tomlinson
 * Task Analysis ** - One of the most important things I need to complete the hands-on aspect of project is a video showing the Storm practices, I already have both a video camera and a person to videotape (my mentor), I need parent permission forms from all of the girls on the team. These forms have been handed out and I have asked for them to be returned by today, October 19th at practice. I currently have eleven out of fourteen permission slips, and once I get the last three I will be able to start taping, hopefully by next practice (Thursday, October 22nd). I hope to film that practice, the game on Saturday and film short interviews before and after practice on Monday, October 26th.
 * Mentor
 * Rationale:** I chose my mom for my topic expert because she is a reliable, extremely responsible person that I trust. I also know that I will always be able to find to time to meet with her and that she will always make time to help me. I have been speaking to her about my project about once a week and I plan on keeping that up, we have and will continue to communicate both in person and over email. She is also helping me with my project by filming my soccer practices.


 * Conclusion ** - This project is more to me than just a project in school. The girls on the Springfield Storm are very important to me, and I hope to help them grow as soccer players and as people (this is what makes the difference between good coaches and great coaches). This project will allow me to do this, by helping them find their motivation, whether I must provoke it or I can help them find it within themselves. For the first time in my life, I am forced to work on a project before it is actually due because the soccer season ends in the middle of November, so all of the "grunt work" for my hands-on project must be complete by that point in time. In this way I am strengthening my weaknesses. Also, I purposely picked this project so time management would not be a major issue, because I was already committed to coaching the team. However, I am finding that I still need to be careful with my time, the season is running out faster than I believed it would. I am committed to this team and I hope to become as important an influence to them as my soccer coach was to me and my teammates.