The Adapted French version of the Academic and Athletic Identity Scale (AAIS-FR): Evidence of validity and reliability and relationships with sport well-being

Abstract

Student-athletes must manage the demands provided by school and sports environments. The result is a stronger identification as a student and/or athlete in their overall definition of themselves. Specific identities can change with time, demands and contexts. The purpose of this study was to translate the Academic and Athletic Identity Scale, developed by Yukhymenko-Lescroart (2014, Student and Athletes? Development of the Academic and Athletic Identity Scale (AAIS). Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology), into French (AAIS-FR) and examine its factorial structure, reliability and concurrent validity. Construct and concurrent validity were examined among 363 French university student-athletes (50.41% women). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the 2-factor structure (i.e., χ² (32, N = 363) = 100.881, CFI = .971, TLI = .959, RMSEA = .077, SRMR = .038), with one item removed because of its low factor loading. Moreover, the results revealed a positive association between athletic identity and engagement, a negative association between athletic identity and burnout, and no association between academic identity and sport well-being. However, future research is needed to provide further evidence of the AAIS-FR validity.