Development and initial psychometric evaluation of a self-reported sustainable sport talent development literacy scale for physical education teachers

Abstract

Background School sport aims to identify and develop students’ sport potential while maintaining health, motivation, educational engagement, and equitable participation. However, few instruments capture how physical education (PE) teachers report the judgments and practice orientations through which they support sport potential under these developmental conditions. Objective This study developed and conducted an initial psychometric evaluation of a self-report scale designed to assess PE teachers’ self-reported sustainable sport talent development literacy, operationalized as reported judgments and practice orientations. Methods The scale was developed through a literature review, expert content review, pilot testing, and a formal online survey. Of 858 submitted questionnaires, 800 were retained after data-quality screening and randomly allocated to exploratory factor analysis (n = 400) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 400) subsamples. Results Exploratory factor analysis supported a six-factor structure comprising health protection, motivational support, education–training balance, potential cultivation, character guidance, and collaborative support. The correlated six-factor model also showed good fit in the confirmatory analysis (robust comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.985, robust Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.984, and robust root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.018). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.790 to 0.822 across the six dimensions, and composite reliability estimates were acceptable. Average variance extracted values ranged from 0.395 to 0.459, indicating limited evidence of convergent validity. The six dimension scores correlated between 0.465 and 0.537 with a separate, five-item study-developed sustainable PE practice-intention measure; the exploratory correlation with the unit-weighted total score was 0.727. Because the two measures were completed by the same respondents in the same survey and covered closely related self-reported orientations, these associations were interpreted as preliminary evidence of theoretical consistency rather than evidence of concurrent, criterion-related, or predictive validity. Observed-score comparisons showed little differentiation between teachers with and without experience guiding sport-talented or high-performing students. Because measurement invariance was not tested for this grouping variable, the results were not interpreted as indicating a latent group difference. Conclusion The findings provide preliminary psychometric evidence for a six-dimensional measure of PE teachers’ self-reported sustainable sport talent development literacy. Scores reflect teachers’ reported judgments and practice orientations; they do not directly indicate demonstrated knowledge, judgment accuracy, professional competence, or observed teaching behavior. The scale may support exploratory research and teacher development, but validation against independent external criteria and behavioral assessments remains necessary.