Validity and usefulness of the student-athletes’ motivation toward sport and academics questionnaire: a Bayesian multilevel approach

Autor: Ricardo T. Quinaud, Carlos E. Gonçalves, Kauana Possamai, Cristiano Zarbato Morais, Laura Capranica, Humberto M. Carvalho
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: PeerJ, Vol 9, p e11863 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2167-8359
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11863
Popis: Background Reliable assessment and understanding of student-athletes’ motivation for dual careers are crucial to support their career development and transitions. The purpose of this research was to examine the validity and usefulness of the student-athletes’ motivation toward sport and academics questionnaire (SAMSAQ-PT) in the Brazilian higher education context. Four studies were performed. Methods In study one, conceptually and semantic translation of the questionnaire and Bayesian exploratory factor analysis were conducted. In study two, a Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis with an independent sample was performed. In study three, Bayesian multilevel modeling was applied to examine the construct validity of the questionnaire in a cross-sectional sample. In study four, the SAMSAQ-PT sensitiveness was examined in a longitudinal sample, and the results were interpreted based on multilevel regression and poststratification. Results Altogether the results provided evidence validity and usefulness of the SAMSAQ-PT in Brazilian student-athletes. The Brazilian student-athletes’ motivation scores were sensitive to the influence of sex, sport level, and type of university on career and sport motivation. SAMSAQ-PT estimate scores across an academic year showed a trend of stability in the scores, adjusting for sex, sport level, type of university, and student-athlete status. Conclusion The SAMSAQ-PT proved to be a robust and valuable questionnaire, which could be used in Portuguese-speaking countries. The findings of the cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys urge to consider individual and contextual characteristics when investigating motivation of dual-career of athletes, also concerning the sex-related opportunities in university sports. Furthermore, there is a need for a call for action to promote and nurture the student-athletes motivation to remain engaged in both sports and educational commitments.
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