When Feedback-Seeking Behavior Leads to Professional Skills Development：

Examining the Mediating Effect of Reflection on Experiences and the Moderating Effect of Motivation

Abstract

This study aims to re-examine a hypothetical model that feedback-seeking behavior in the workplace mediates a deeper reflection on experiences as an influencing process that affects professional skills development. It also assesses whether the strength of the association between each variable in the mediation analysis is moderated by the level of motivation. A web-based questionnaire was administered, and responses were obtained from 476 non-management employees from four companies. The survey items include feedback-seeking behavior, motivation for pursuing feedback-seeking behavior, reflecting on experiences, and the development of professional skills. The study results confirm that feedback-seeking behavior predicts the development of professional skills and partially mediates the effect of reflection on experiences. Furthermore, this influence process depends not on the content of the motivation for feedback-seeking behavior, but on the level of motivation, suggesting that the behavior of actively seeking feedback is more likely to lead to reflection on experiences, which in turn leads to the development of job performance.