Validity Evaluation of the College Student Physical Literacy Questionnaire

BACKGROUND: Physical literacy (PL) is an important tool to promote physical activity of individuals, and the level of physical literacy of individuals affects their physical activity behaviors. Currently, the physical fitness of college students in China is a prominent issue, and assessing physical literacy among college students may provide tools and directions to further promote physical fitness and precisely intervene in physical activity behaviors of college students in the future. This study aimed to develop a college student physical literacy questionnaire (CSPLQ) to address the lack of currently available physical literacy assessment tools for Chinese college students. We hoped to collect validity evidence of this questionnaire to measure the validity of the physical literacy self-assessment questionnaire among Chinese university students. METHODS: An initial pool of items was obtained from existing research instruments, literature, and expert advice. An expert review panel evaluated its content. A subsequent validation process reduced the pool of items. We conducted a validation factor analysis of the CSPLQ using structural equation modeling. The relationship between physical literacy and other variables was also examined using correlation analysis. RESULTS: The item content validity index (ICVI) of CSPLQ was 0.70–0.95. The CSPLQ was composed of a total of 38 items across 3 domains (physical and behavioral domain, affective domain, and cognitive domain) and 7 dimensions (motor skills, motor skills, physical activity, perceptions of healthy living, perceptions of physical activity, motivation to engage in physical activity, and confidence to engage in physical activity). The factor validity of the CSPLQ was determined by significant loading of all items on their expected factors, with good data model fit and good stability between two independent samples were demonstrated. Each subscale had a Cronbach α coefficient >0.9 and was strongly correlated with each other. The correlation coefficients between college students' physical literacy and other variables, including athletic ability, physical condition, physical attractiveness, physical fitness, frequency of physical activity, and length of physical activity, all reached a significance level of P < 0.05. CONCLUSION: The CSPLQ has sufficient evidence of validity. The development of the instrument showed evidence of validity for the content, response process, internal structure, and relationships with other variables.