The self-regulation in exercise scale (seres): its multidimensional structure and internal consistency

Introduction

The purpose of the present study was to examine the factor structure and internal consistency of the Self-Regulation in Exercise Scale (SERES) which is a self-report instrument designed to assess levels of self-determination in Hellene exercise participants. The measure assesses levels of amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, intrinsic motivation to accomplish, and intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation in line with Self-determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000).

Methods

Five hundred and sixty Hellene exercise participants (N = 560) were assessed on their reasons for participation in structured exercise programs. Data were collected before initiation of the exercise class. Before the data collection the participants were informed about the purpose of the study and were assured of the confidentiality of their responses.

Results

The dimensionality of the participants’ responses was assessed using confirmatory factor analytic procedures (Ullman, 2001) while the internal consistency of the SERES subscales was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. The goodness-of-fit indices (see Hoyle & Panter, 1995) were considered satisfactory and were: Chi-square = 906.39,
df = 329, p < .001, Chi-square/df = 2.7, Scaled chi-square = 574.28, Scaled chi-square/df = 1.7, NNFI = .91, CFI = .92, Robust CFI = .91, RMSR = .04, SRMR = .05, RMSEA = .05 and CI of the RMSEA (.05 - .06). Factor loadings ranged from .55 to .89 indicating strong relationships of each one of the items with the factor intended to define. Also, the internal consistency indices of the SERES subscales ranged from .77 to .91 exceeding the .70 criterion.

Discussion/Conclusions

Overall, the results supported the dimensionality of the factor structure of the SERES as well as its internal consistency.

References

[1]. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
[2]. Hoyle, R. H., & Panter, A. T. (1995). In Hoyle, R. H. (Ed.) Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications (pp. 158-175). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
[3]. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.
[4]. Ullman, J. B. (2001). In Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidell, L. S (Eds.), Using multivariate statistics (pp. 653-771). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.