Digital Scaffolding for Self-Regulation: Using WhatsApp Reminders to Improve Sport Self-Efficacy in University Students

NCT07427030 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 02/14PNURSP2026R424
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 22
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a self-regulation strategy called Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) can improve university students' confidence in participating in tennis training. The study also examines whether adding WhatsApp reminder messages makes the strategy more effective. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does using MCII help students feel more confident about joining and continuing tennis training? Do WhatsApp reminders increase the effect of MCII on sport self-efficacy? Researchers compared two groups. One group used the MCII strategy alone, while the other group used MCII together with reminder messages sent through WhatsApp. Participants were university students who were already enrolled in a tennis training program. Participants: Completed a questionnaire about their self-efficacy before the study started Took part in a four-week intervention during regular tennis training sessions Completed MCII planning exercises before training sessions Received WhatsApp reminders before sessions if assigned to the reminder group Completed the same questionnaire again after the intervention The study aims to better understand how simple digital reminders may support self-regulation and improve students' confidence to continue participating in sports.

Conditions

Self-Efficacy; Self-Regulation; Sport Participation; Physical Activity Behavior

Keywords

self-regulation; self-efficacy; MCII; WhatsApp reminder prompts; physical activity participation; behavior change

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) Score

  Self-efficacy was measured using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), a 10-item self-report instrument assessing participants' perceived ability to cope with challenges and perform goal-directed behaviors. Scores were collected at baseline (pretest) and immediately after completion of the 4-week intervention period (posttest). Higher scores indicate greater perceived self-efficacy.

  Baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention

Study Arms (2)

MCII

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants completed Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) exercises before training sessions using a structured worksheet designed for tennis training.

Behavioral: Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII)

MCII + Reminders

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants completed the same MCII exercises as the comparison group and additionally received structured WhatsApp reminder messages before scheduled training sessions.

Behavioral: MCII + WhatsApp Reminders

Interventions

Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) BEHAVIORAL

Participants completed structured Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) exercises before tennis training sessions. The intervention included identifying training-related goals, reflecting on potential obstacles, and creating specific if-then action plans to support self-regulation and goal-directed behavior.

MCII

MCII + WhatsApp Reminders BEHAVIORAL

Participants completed standardized Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) exercises before tennis training sessions. In addition, they received structured WhatsApp reminder messages one day before each scheduled session to prompt mental preparation and reinforce engagement with the MCII self-regulation strategy. The reminder messages were the only procedural difference from the MCII-only intervention.

MCII + Reminders

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 31 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Registered member of a university tennis club
• Actively enrolled in a structured tennis training program
• Aged 18 years or older
• Voluntarily agreed to participate and provided informed consent
• Completed baseline assessment procedures

You may not qualify if:

• Did not complete the intervention protocol
• Missed posttest assessment
• Failed to complete required study measures
• Withdrew participation during the study period

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Inonu University: lead
• Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Inonu University

Malatya, Battalgazi, 44280, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Self-Control

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Yalin Aygun, PhD

  Inonu University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: No masking was applied due to the behavioral nature of the intervention and the use of self-reported outcome measures.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of two parallel intervention groups: MCII-only or MCII combined with WhatsApp reminders. Both groups completed the same core intervention procedures, differing only in the use of digital reminder prompts. Participants remained in their assigned group throughout the study, and no crossover occurred.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 17, 2026
• First Posted: February 23, 2026
• Study Start: January 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: February 7, 2026
• Study Completion: February 7, 2026
• Last Updated: February 23, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Beginning 6 months after publication and continuing for 5 years.
• Access Criteria: Access will be granted to qualified researchers upon reasonable request to the corresponding author. Requests will be reviewed based on scientific merit, and data will be shared in de-identified form for research purposes only.

Locations

TU (1)