Scheduled for Psychology II Free Communications, Saturday, April 5, 2003, 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM, Convention Center: 304


Development of the Physical Activity Class Satisfaction Questionnaire (PACSQ)

George B. Cunningham, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Satisfaction is seen as an important outcome of one’s participation in physical activity classes. From a prime beneficiary perspective, students benefit the most from the class and, thus, their satisfaction is one measure of success. Additionally, satisfaction is positively related with important outcomes, such as commitment and stay intentions. Thus, one’s satisfaction with the physical activity class could be seen as a predictor of future exercise participation. Despite its importance, there is little written about the construct in the exercise and physical activity domain. Of the literature that does exist, (a) authors treat satisfaction as one-dimensional, or (b) when satisfaction is treated as multidimensional, all relevant facets are not included. Thus, there is a need for a multidimensional measure of satisfaction with physical activity classes. The purpose of this study was to construct such an instrument—the Physical Activity Class Satisfaction Questionnaire (PACSQ). I first conducted a search and review of the physical activity, sport, leisure, and industrial psychology literature. I then collected qualitative data from 16 students in activity classes. This led to the formation of eight facets of satisfaction. Fifty questionnaire items were then constructed and subjected to scrutiny from two sport psychologists and one research methods specialist. The resulting 40-item scale was then distributed to 181 students participating in physical activity classes. In an effort to further refine the instrument, I conducted a principal components analysis with orthogonal rotation. This procedure led to the formation of a 24-item measure consisting of five facets – Health and Fitness, Mastery Experiences, Normative Success, Interaction with Others, and Relaxation. This measure was then distributed to another sample of 304 participants. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the model was a close fit to the data, SRMSR=.053, CFI=.95, PNFI=.81. All facets were sufficiently distinct from one another, as the shared variance ranged from 2% to 36%. Reliability estimates for each facet ranged from .92 to .96. The various facets of the scale were also significantly related to intentions to regularly participate in the physical activity over the next year and over one’s lifetime. Thus, the PACSQ is reliable and possesses content, discriminant, predictive, and construct validity. The measure can be used to examine one’s satisfaction with a specific class and/or to assess the overall effectiveness of a physical activity program.

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