Email this article Preliminary Effects of Reflective Card-Based Mental Training on Mental Toughness among Student-Athletes
Abstract
Mental toughness is a crucial psychological resource for student-athletes. However, structured and engaging mental training interventions in university sport remain limited. This study aimed to examine the preliminary effects of reflective card-based mental training intervention, Points of You (Athlete Edition), on mental toughness among student-athletes. A pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was employed involving 15 university sepak takraw student-athletes. The intervention was conducted over eight guided reflective sessions using structured visual cards grounded in positive sport psychology principles. Mental toughness was measured using the Sport-Specific Psychological Strengths Questionnaire (SSPSQ). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests. Mental toughness scores increased significantly from pretest (M = 68.40, SD = 6.85) to post-test (M = 75.60, SD = 6.21), t (14) = 4.27, p < .05. The largest improvements were observed in emotional regulation (+2.7), achievement motivation (+2.7), and self-confidence (+2.3). The calculated effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.82) indicated large practical effect. Most participants reported high engagement and perceived usefulness of the reflective media (88.9%). The findings provide preliminary empirical evidence that reflective card-based mental training can enhance psychological readiness among university athletes. This intervention offers a practical and innovative approach for integrating mental training into sport education programs.
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References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/jpjo.v11i2.96468
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