Research aimed at helping identify and
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develop Scottish golfing talent

By GRAEME McDOWALL
I am a PGA professional who is currently studying for a PhD in Sports Coaching at the University of Birmingham. My study is an exploration of the self-determining characteristics of elite level professionals. Guiding this work is the theoretical frameworks of Self Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci 2000) and Ericcson et al’s (1993) Deliberate Practice framework. It is hoped that this work provides the basis for future research aimed at establishing more sophisticated measures for the identification and development of sporting talent.
The most compelling hypothesis from the deliberate practice is that the acquisition of expert performance is not the result of any special or innate talents; instead it is the end result of effortful activities (deliberate practice) extended for a minimum of 10 years (or 10000 hours). During this time practice is only considered to be deliberate practice when it is structured to improve performance, requires constant high levels of concentration, occurs alone and as such is not considered to be inherently enjoyable. Furthermore it is motivated solely by the goal of stretching current levels of performance over long periods of time with no requirement for immediate rewards.
Clearly then not all individuals will be predisposed to work in this way, very possibly however those who can work in this way may have the key distinguishable features needed to become a world class performer. The absence of these attributes may also explain why many seemingly gifted youngsters do not progress into adult achievers whilst those of lesser perceived ability often do. I, therefore, am most interested in developing a measure to identify those individuals who have the talent to ‘practice deliberately’.
With this in mind an increasingly popular theory of human motivation in sport and exercise psychology is known as Self Determination Theory. Essentially Self Determination Theory is a measurement of intrinsic motivation. Individuals with high levels of self determined (intrinsic) motivation have been found to be more likely to choose to work hard, experience lower levels of performance-related anxiety, and exhibit greater levels of skill learning.
In order to establish if self determination has predictive values in relation to deliberate practice I need your help to develop an appropriate scale with which to measure this concept. I would be very grateful if you could complete my questionnaire by following this link –

http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/bham/sms7v1

furthermore if you want to explore any of these concepts in more detail then please feel free to contact me at gmcdowall@elmwood.ac.uk. Many thanks.
GRAEME McDOWALL

References

Ericsson, K.A., Krampe, R.T. and Tesch-Römer, C. (1993) “The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance”, Psychological Review, Vol 100, No. 3; pp 363-406

Ryan, R.M & Deci E.L. (2000) “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development and Well-Being” American Psychologist, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp 68-78