College of Physical Education & Sport Sciences

A PHD thesis from the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences on “The Effect of Using a Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention Program on Developing the Ability to Psychologically Evaluate and Set Goals among Handball Players”
The College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at the University of Mosul discussed a doctoral thesis in sports psychology on “The Effect of Using a Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention Program on Developing the Ability to Psychologically Evaluate and Set Goals among Handball Players” (on Wednesday, April 30, 2025).

Professor Dr. Nibras Younis Mohammed, Dean of the College, and a number of faculty members attended the discussion. The thesis submitted by student Abdul Karim Habou Mohammed Al-Habou addressed the cognitive behavioral intervention program, which is considered one of the pioneering psychological programs in the field of sports psychology. It combines behavioral and cognitive aspects and is based on the idea that behaviors can be modified or changed by altering thoughts and false beliefs. This integration helps athletes understand how their thoughts influence their behavior and performance, which contributes to improving their psychological compatibility and adaptation to the sporting environment in which they live, thus improving their performance.
The study addressed the program’s psychological importance in preparing players, developing their motivation, and motivating them to exert greater effort during training and competition, overcoming obstacles, and managing the pressures they may encounter during their athletic careers in order to reach and achieve their desired goals. The study aimed to design a cognitive behavioral intervention program tailored to the needs of elite handball players, construct a psychological assessment scale for elite handball players, and develop a goal-setting scale for elite handball players. It also aimed to explore the impact of using a cognitive behavioral intervention program on developing the ability to psychologically assess and set goals among handball players in the pre- and post-tests between the experimental and control groups. The discussion committee was chaired by Professor Dr. Saad Abbas Abdul Janabi from Samarra University, with the membership of Professor Dr. Nagham Mahmoud Mohammed Saleh Al-Obaidi, Assistant Professor Dr. Rafi Idris Abdul Ghafoor, Assistant Professor Dr. Walid Thanoon Younis Al-Hayali, and Assistant Professor Dr. Ismail Abdul Jabbar, under the supervision and membership of Professor Dr. Nagham Khaled Najib Al-Khafaf.