Sport and exercise psychology in Korea: Three decades of growth

Abstract

Sport and exercise psychology as an academic discipline and area of research experienced a significant development over the last century. As the field matures, interests in sport and exercise psychology research and practices spread across different cultures and geographic locations. Similar growth in interests could have been observed in South Korea, reflected by the increased numbers of researchers and research publications in the Korean Society of Sport Psychology (KSSP) and Korean Journal of Sport Psychology (KJSP). The current paper introduces the establishment and historical development of the KSSP, and analyzed research trends published in the KJSP (1990–2019) with regard to the topics, research design, and methodologies, etc. By reviewing 30 years of research, valuable insights, unique implications and practical suggestions for sport psychology, exercise psychology, and motor behavior could be suggested, which may contribute to further development of Asian and international sport psychology.