The Basic Needs Satisfaction in Sport Scale (BNSSS): Instrument development and initial validity evidence
Highlights
► A sport-specific measure of basic psychological needs satisfaction was created. ► Data fit a 5 factor model – competence, relatedness, and 3 aspects of autonomy. ► Correlations with theoretically related constructs were in the hypothesized direction.
Section snippets
Measuring basic needs satisfaction in sport
In spite of the growing evidence regarding the importance of basic needs satisfaction in competitive sport, little emphasis has been paid to creating a measure of basic needs satisfaction specifically for use in the sport context. In previous sport studies, researchers have measured perceived basic needs satisfaction using scales that were adapted from other domains such as work (e.g., Gagné et al., 2003) and education (e.g., Kowal & Fortier, 2000). These adaptations may be problematic because
Study 1
Based on the definitions of the basic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness proposed by Ryan and Deci (2002) and informal interviews with six athletes, 32 items (10 for competence, 10 for autonomy, and 12 for relatedness) were created in English and designed to reflect athletes’ cognitions and affect associated with their sport participation (see Table A in supplementary document). The content relevance of these items was assessed using procedures recommended by Dunn, Bouffard, and
Study 2
Construct coverage refers to the extent to which a set of items represent an entire construct. Consequently, it was necessary to wait until the content review and the CFAs in Study 1 had been completed and the set of items designed to measure each of the three constructs had been established. The 15 items (five for each basic need) retained from Study 1 were grouped into the constructs they were intended to measure. The ten reviewers who took part in the content-coverage review in Study 1 were
Study 3
The purpose of Study 3 was to examine the test–retest reliability of the five-factor BNSSS. Participants were 63 athletes (25 females, 38 males; mean age = 21.22 years, SD = 1.96 years) who were also undergraduate students at a university in Hong Kong. Participants were asked to complete a Chinese version of the BNSSS on two occasions seven days apart. A seven-day time frame between the administrations was used in order to minimize changes in basic needs satisfaction. Therefore, any inconsistencies
General discussion
The purpose of this series of studies was to create items and test the reliability and validity of scores derived from a basic needs satisfaction scale developed specifically for use in the sport domain. Grounded in self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2002, Ryan and Deci, 2007), the 20-item five-factor BNSSS was created to measure satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of competence (five items), autonomy (ten items separated into three different aspects), and relatedness (five
References (36)
- et al.
The relationships between body mass and body image and relative autonomy for exercise among adolescent males and females
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
(2007) - et al.
A graded conceptualisation of self-determination in the regulation of exercise behaviour: development of a measure using confirmatory factor analytic procedures
Personality & Individual Differences
(1997) - et al.
The psychosocial aspects of a return to sport following serious injury: a review of the literature from a self-determination perspective
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
(2007) - et al.
Perceived motivational climate, need satisfaction and indices of well-being in team sports: a longitudinal perspective
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
(2006) - et al.
The relationship between perceived autonomy support, exercise regulations and behavioral intentions in women
Psychology of Sport and Exercise
(2004) Three coefficients for analyzing the reliability and validity of ratings
Educational & Psychological Measurement
(1985)- et al.
Choice is good, but relevance is excellent: autonomy-enhancing and suppressing teacher behaviours predicting students’ engagement in schoolwork
British Journal of Educational Psychology
(2002) - et al.
Intrinsic need satisfaction: a motivational basis of performance and well-being in two work settings
Journal of Applied Social Psychology
(2004) - et al.
Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance
Structural Equation Modeling
(2002) Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences
(1977)
Flow: The psychology of optimal experience
The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: human needs and the self-determination of behavior
Psychological Inquiry
Assessing item content-relevance in sport psychology scale-construction research: issues and recommendations
Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science
Predictors of intrinsic motivation among adolescent students in physical education
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
Autonomy support and need satisfaction in the motivation and well-being of gymnasts
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
Burnout in elite rugby: relationships with basic psychological needs fulfilment
Journal of Sports Sciences
Perceived coaching behaviors and college athletes’ intrinsic motivation: a test of self-determination theory
Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives
Structural Equation Modeling
Cited by (157)
The effects of interpersonal development programmes with sport coaches and parents on youth athlete outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2024, Psychology of Sport and ExerciseCommitment in sport: Motivational climate, need satisfaction/thwarting and behavioural outcomes
2023, Asian Journal of Sport and Exercise PsychologyAttachment to God, Contingent Self-Worth, and Mental Health Outcomes in U.S. Collegiate Athletes
2024, Journal of Religion and HealthExploring Basic Needs, Motivation, and Retention Among Female Sport Officials
2024, Women in Sport and Physical Activity JournalCoping profiles of adolescent football players and association with interpersonal coping: Do emotional competence and psychological need satisfaction matter?
2024, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports