Scale development for perceived school climate for girls' physical activity

Abstract

Objectives: To test an original scale assessing perceived school climate for girls' physical activity in middle school girls.

Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM).

Results: CFA retained 5 of 14 original items. A model with 2 correlated factors, perceptions about teachers' and boys' behaviors, respectively, fit the data well in both sixth and eighth graders. SEM detected a positive, significant direct association of the teacher factor, but not the boy factor, with girls' self-reported physical activity.

Conclusions: School climate for girls' physical activity is a measurable construct, and preliminary evidence suggests a relationship with physical activity.

Figures

Figure 1

Structural Equation Model Fit in Sixth- and Eighth-grade Girls Note. Abbreviations: SC=school climate, PA=physical activity, D=disturbance term