Effect of feedback-enhanced reflective journaling on self-regulation and perceived performance among Taekwondo athletes

Reflective journaling has been used as a strategy to help athletes examine their training experiences and support reflective learning. However, whether reflective journaling alone can produce meaningful changes in sport-related psychological outcomes remains unclear. Thus, this study explored whether feedback-enhanced reflective journaling (i.e., reflective journaling with structured feedback) would lead to greater improvements in self-regulation and perceived performance, conceptualized as athletes’ subjective self-evaluative beliefs, than reflective journaling alone. A total of 52 Taekwondo (Poomsae) athletes participated in the study and were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 26) or control group (n = 26). For 16 weeks, both groups completed reflective journaling according to the same guidelines. The experimental group received structured feedback on their journal entries, whereas the control group did not. The journaling procedures, based on Gibbs’ six-stage model, focused on training reflection and personal insights. Pre- and post-tests assessed self-regulation and perceived performance. Statistical analyses—including independent-samples t-tests and two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA)—were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 23.0 (α = .05). The experimental group showed significantly higher self-regulation (M = 4.214) and perceived performance scores (M = 3.900) compared with the control group (M = 3.764 and M = 2.800, respectively), with strong statistical significance (p < .01 and p < .001, respectively). The two-way ANOVA confirmed significant group × time interaction effects for both self-regulation (F = 12.013, p < .01) and perceived performance (F = 45.125, p < .001), suggesting that the addition of structured feedback to reflective journaling was associated with greater improvements in these outcomes. Feedback-enhanced reflective journaling was associated with greater improvements in self-regulation and perceived performance than reflective journaling alone among Taekwondo athletes. These findings highlight the potential value of adding structured feedback to reflective journaling in training programs to support athletes’ psychological development and more positive performance-related self-evaluations. The study offers practical implications for the development of sport-based psychological interventions targeting self-regulation and perceived performance. CRIS, KCT0011673, Retrospectively Registered March 3, 2026 [https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/detailSearch.do?seq=32687&search_page=L&search_lang=&class_yn=].