Development and Content Validation of the Swimming Competence Assessment Scale (SCAS): A Modified Delphi Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to design and develop the Swimming Competence Assessment Scale (SCAS) to measure children’s aquatic skills as they align with the physical education curriculum for Norwegian primary schools. We conducted a three-round modified Delphi study involving 22 national experts in the aquatic profession. Experts reached consensus on scale items within an observation form and coding sheet based on a swimming proficiency test for measuring six aquatic skills: water entry, frontstroke swimming, surface dive, float/rest, backstroke swimming and water exit. Independent experts obtained high agreement (scale level: 88%, item level: 80–93%) on the relevance, representativeness, and clarity of the scale. Current results suggest that the SCAS is a valid instrument for researchers and practitioners to observe and record children’s aquatic proficiency for the purpose of screening and developing aquatic education.