Strategies Athletes Use to Convert Game-Based Feedback into Confidence Gains
Keywords:
Sport confidence, feedback, psychological strategies, athlete development, qualitative research, PakistanAbstract
This study aimed to explore the strategies athletes employ to interpret and transform game-based feedback into confidence-enhancing practices. A qualitative research design was employed using semi-structured interviews with 18 athletes from Pakistan, representing a range of sports and competitive levels. Participants were selected purposively and interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Each interview lasted between 45–60 minutes and was recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically using NVivo 14 software. Data analysis followed an inductive coding process, moving from open codes to subthemes and broader categories, with constant comparison and collaborative review to ensure credibility and trustworthiness. Analysis revealed three overarching themes. First, interpreting and processing feedback involved emotional regulation, distinguishing constructive versus harsh input, cognitive reframing, social influence, and selective attention. Second, translating feedback into confidence gains included goal-oriented adjustments, building self-efficacy, integrating feedback into practice, positive self-talk, converting criticism into motivation, and mental visualization. Third, sustaining confidence over time was characterized by feedback-performance cycles, reliance on support networks, habitual reflection, adopting long-term mindsets, resilience in adversity, role modeling, and the use of rituals and routines. Athletes demonstrated that feedback was not passively received but actively filtered, reinterpreted, and embedded into psychological and social strategies that reinforced their confidence. The findings highlight that athletes strategically convert evaluative feedback into confidence by employing cognitive, emotional, and social mechanisms. This underscores confidence as a dynamic, process-oriented construct shaped by interpretation and application of feedback. The study contributes to sport psychology by illustrating how feedback can be framed as a resource for confidence development and offers practical insights for coaches, psychologists, and sport organizations to foster environments that empower athletes.
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