A focus on the what of meaningful experiences in physical education: Development and initial validation of the Meaningful Physical Education Scale.

Abstract

This research aimed to develop and gather evidence on the validity and reliability of the Meaningful Physical Education Scale, which measures students’ perceptions of the common features of meaningful experiences in Physical Education. In the first study (N = 661 students), a pool of 25 items was created, and an exploratory factor analysis identified a five-factor solution. In the second study (N = 937 students), a confirmatory factor analysis supported a five-factor correlated model, which was invariant across gender and age. The five-factor correlated model demonstrated good convergent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency, and temporal stability. Criterion validity was established through positive relationships between social interaction, fun, challenge, motor competence, and personally relevant learning with physical activity intention. The Meaningful Physical Education Scale is a psychometrically robust instrument for measuring the perceived common characteristics of meaningful Physical Education among Spanish students.