Development and Validation of Chinese University Students’ Physical Activity Motivation Scale Under the Constraint of Physical Education Policies

Abstract

The accurate measurement of university students’ motivation to participate in physical activity (PA) is a prerequisite to developing better physical fitness programs. However, motivation driven by government policies, i.e., physical education policies, are often excluded from many existing scales. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a psychometric instrument based on self-determination theory that exclusively measures the motivation of Chinese university students to participate in PA. A total of 1,215 university students who regularly participated in PA at five universities in China constituted the final valid sample. Sample 1 (n = 311) was used to determine the underlying factor structure of the initial Chinese University Students’ Physical Activity Motivation Scale (CUSPAMS) through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Sample 2 (n = 330) was used to test the model fit of the EFA-derived factor structure and data through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and to test the internal consistency of each factor and of the whole scale. Sample 3 (n = 574) was used to confirm the model stability and criterion validity. Finally, 177 individuals were randomly selected from Sample 3 to perform test–retest reliability. Preliminary evidence showed that the nine-factor CUSPAMS, consisting of 32 items, yielded good psychometric characteristics. The development of the CUSPAMS provides an opportunity to improve current theories and practices regarding the assessment of PA motivation. The CUSPAMS is recommended for examining factors that influence motives as well as the impact of motives on PA among Chinese university students.

Sports motivation in Chinese college students: A systematic review

“…The locations studied included the following regions: Jimei university (n = 1) [ 22 ], Huizhou University (n = 1) [ 23 ], Shandong Women's University (n = 1) [ 24 ], Yangzhou University (n = 1) [ 25 ], Henan University of Science and Technology (n = 1) [ 26 ], Changchun Normal University (n = 1) [ 27 ], Shaanxi University of Technology (n = 1) [ 28 ], Changji University (n = 1) [ 29 ], Changshu Institute of Technology (n = 1) [ 30 ], Yanbian University (n = 1) [ 31 ], Canton City (n = 2) [ 32 , 33 ], Xuzhou City (n = 1) [ 34 ], Changchun City (n = 1) [ 35 ], Nanjing City (n = 1) [ 36 ], Kaifeng City (n = 1) [ 37 ], Harbin City (n = 3) [ [38] , [39] , [40] ], Fuzhou City (n = 1) [ 41 ], Shanghai City (n = 1) [ 42 ], Beijing City (n = 2) [ 21 , 43 ], Southern of China (n = 2) [ 44 , 45 ], Southwest of China (n = 1) [ 46 ], Mainland China (n = 4) [ [47] , [48] , [49] , [50] ]. The above information can be seen in Table 2 .…”

“…College students' attitudes toward school sports policies were positively correlated with their performance on sports tests. Ignorance and disagreement with the policy made college students fear or even avoid participating in relevant physical activity [ 48 ].…”

“…There are few previous studies on sports policy because sports policy is difficult to quantify without a measurement tool. However, the results in article number 3 indicate that Bo Lin developed a scale about Chinese college students' sports policy and validated the influence of policy factors on sports motivation [ 48 ]. It provided a new perspective to understand the impact of government policies on sports motivation.…”

The Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Chinese University Students’ Physical Activity: Exploring the Role of Motivation and Self-Efficacy

“…It had good construct validity, and the estimates of the measurement model were good, with the value of chi square divided by the degree of freedom (χ 2 /df), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) being determined as follows: χ 2 (137) = 1093.972, CFI = 0.927, TLI = 0.908, and RMSEA = 0.063. The Chinese University Students' Physical Activity Motivation Scale (CUSPAMS) was developed by Lin et al 93 specifically to measure the different types of motives for PA participation targeting university and college students. The CUSPAMS consists of 32 items with nine factors measuring different types of motives: enjoyment, mastery, stress management, health benefit, appearance, affiliation, competition, policy intervention, and others' expectations.…”

“…The Chinese University Students’ Physical Activity Motivation Scale (CUSPAMS) was developed by Lin et al 93 specifically to measure the different types of motives for PA participation targeting university and college students. The CUSPAMS consists of 32 items with nine factors measuring different types of motives: enjoyment, mastery, stress management, health benefit, appearance, affiliation, competition, policy intervention, and others’ expectations.…”