AQA · A-Level · Physical Education
Course version: 7582 · Version from Sept 2016
Relationship between trait sport confidence, competitive orientation, the…
Full specification wording
Self-efficacy and confidence: Relationship between trait sport confidence, competitive orientation, the sport situation and state sport confidence.
Trait sport confidence is a stable, general belief in one's ability across sport, while state sport confidence is the momentary belief felt in a specific situation.
Checked against the AQA 7582 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 5 of 6
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Trait sport confidence is a stable, general belief in one's ability across sport, while state sport confidence is the momentary belief felt in a specific situation. Competitive orientation describes how much a performer values competition and defines success through winning or personal improvement. The sport situation includes the demands, audience, importance and difficulty of the event. These factors interact: high trait confidence and a strong competitive orientation tend to raise state confidence, but the situation can override them. For example, a confident athlete who values competition may still feel low state confidence before a major final if the situation is perceived as threatening. Conversely, a lower-trait performer may feel high state confidence in a familiar, low-pressure setting. The relationship is therefore dynamic, not fixed.
What earns the marks
- Trait sport confidence is a relatively stable disposition to believe in one's sporting ability across many situations.
- State sport confidence is the temporary, situation-specific belief in ability at a particular moment.
- Competitive orientation is the degree to which a performer values competition and uses competitive outcomes to judge success.
- The sport situation includes factors such as the importance of the event, the standard of opposition, the audience and the perceived difficulty.
- High trait confidence and a strong competitive orientation generally increase state confidence, but a threatening or unfamiliar situation can reduce it.
- The relationship is interactive: trait confidence, competitive orientation and the situation together shape state confidence, and state confidence can also feed back into trait confidence over time.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating trait and state confidence as the same thing.
Put it right: Trait confidence is a stable general belief, whereas state confidence is momentary and specific to the situation.
Assuming that high trait confidence always produces high state confidence.
Put it right: The sport situation can lower state confidence even in a generally confident performer.
Ignoring competitive orientation. Correction: competitive orientation influences how a performer interprets the situation and therefore affects state confidence.
Believing the relationship is one-way.
Put it right: The factors interact, and repeated state experiences can gradually shape trait confidence.
Exam tips
- Define trait sport confidence, state sport confidence and competitive orientation precisely before explaining their relationship.
- Use a concrete sporting example to show how the situation can change state confidence for the same performer.
- Check that your answer links all four elements: trait confidence, competitive orientation, the sport situation and state sport confidence.
Try the lesson
The start of the Self-efficacy and confidence: Relationship between trait sport confidence, competitive orientation, the sport situation and state sport confidence. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In the relationship between trait sport confidence, competitive orientation, the sport situation and state sport confidence, which term describes the performer’s belief in their ability at a specific moment in a specific event?
Listen
Trait sport confidence is a stable, general belief in one's ability across sport, while state sport confidence is the momentary belief felt in a specific situation. Competitive orientation describes how much a performer values competition and defines success through winning or personal improvement. The sport situation includes the demands, audience, importance and difficulty of the event. These factors interact: high trait confidence and a strong competitive orientation tend to raise state confidence, but the situation can override them. For example, a confident athlete who values competition may still feel low state confidence before a major final if the situation is perceived as threatening. Conversely, a lower-trait performer may feel high state confidence in a familiar, low-pressure setting. The relationship is therefore dynamic, not fixed. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Trait sport confidence is a relatively stable disposition to believe in one's sporting ability across many situations. State sport confidence is the temporary, situation-specific belief in ability at a particular moment. Competitive orientation is the degree to which a performer values competition and uses competitive outcomes to judge success. The sport situation includes factors such as the importance of the event, the standard of opposition, the audience and the perceived difficulty. A common slip: Treating trait and state confidence as the same thing. Instead, trait confidence is a stable general belief, whereas state confidence is momentary and specific to the situation. Exam tip: Define trait sport confidence, state sport confidence and competitive orientation precisely before explaining their relationship.
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Trait sport confidence
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
State sport confidence
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Competitive orientation
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Sport situation
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Trait sport confidence
- A relatively stable disposition to believe in one's sporting ability across many situations.
- State sport confidence
- The temporary, situation-specific belief in ability at a particular moment.
- Competitive orientation
- The degree to which a performer values competition and uses competitive outcomes to judge success.
- Sport situation
- The demands, audience, importance and difficulty of the event, including the standard of opposition and perceived difficulty.
Label the diagram
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1Box 1
2Box 2
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