Sports Academy Psychometric Evaluation and Consultation

Based on Proposal #4 for Sports Academy Phase 1: Scale Creation and Testing Goal #1: Psychometric development, evaluation and validation of scale - The first goal of proposal #2 would be to work with Mindset Development personnel to create test banks of items in each of the sub-areas of interest (e.g., emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and motivation) in order to utilize psychometric methods to choose optimal items (i.e., high discrimination and varying difficulty) for each sub-scale . The psychometric testing of each bank of items would include Classical Test Theory (CTT) indicators, factor analysis of polychoric/tetrachoric correlations and item response theory testing of individual subscales. Optimal item sets will be identified in order to create final versions of each scale Analyses will also include decisions about question formatting (e.g., dichotomous vs. polytomous) and optimal test information. Goal #2: Validation of Final Scales ? CARE will work with Mindset Development personnel to research and identify existing scales and/or objective markers to utilize for testing of convergent/concurrent and discriminant validity of each subscale. Goal #3: Invariance testing across target subpopulations. Once final sets of items are identified for each scale the factor/latent trait structure will be tested for consistency across subpopulations within target population (e.g., gender, age, sports groups) to establish whether the same sets of items can be utilized across the subgroups (i.e., item discriminations and difficulties are similar for each group) and whether the scales are generalizable. Invariance testing would include both multi-sample, incremental invariance testing (i.e., configural, weak, strong, strict measurement invariance) as well as testing for differential item functioning (DIF). Phase 2: Establishing Clinical Criteria Goal #4: Once scale items have been chosen, tested and shown to be invariant across target populations the next phase is to establish clinical cutoff criteria for each scale within each target sub-population (e.g., children/adolescents/adults, men/women). This will require recruiting participants of varying athletic ability (e.g., novice, moderate, expert) within each of the target sub-populations in order to compare them on the newly established scales and establish the clinical thresholds that separates each of these groups. In other words, this phase establishes the cutoff values on each scale that indicates when someone moves from having responses similar to individuals with low athletic performance, to moderate athletic performance, to high athletic performance (or whichever criteria mindset development personnel wish to utilize). This would require that participants are either recruited over time at Sports Academy as they first sign up as clients (i.e., low athletic respondents) or we recruit participants from outside of Sports Academy. As CARE is a Cal State Northridge center, we suggest that we utilize our undergraduate population as a secondary recruiting site for all levels of athletic performance in order to recruit a large enough sample. This can be done through the psychology departments? undergraduate research pool (for novice to moderate responders) or through the kinesiology department (for moderate to expert responders). However, if there is a desire to establish clinical criteria for children and/or adolescents (an) additional recruitment site(s) will need to be identified. Responsibilities Sports Academy - Mindset development personnel will be responsible for data collection via clientele at the Sports Academy facility. Data collection would be stratified to identify target subsamples of interest to ensure that an adequate number of participants is recruited from each sample. Mindset development is responsible for procuring human subjects approval for the portions of the study that utilizes Sports Academy clients which would allow for the publication of study results. CARE ? CARE personnel will be responsible for all data cleaning and analyses as well as providing Sports Academy with a written report of the results of the analysis. CARE will provide Sports Authority with written recommendations for scale improvement and development. Additionally, CARE will procure human subjects approval via Cal State Northridge?s Institutional Review Board, including consenting and assenting (for minors) procedures, for data collection procedures conducted at the Sports Academy facility and recruiting any of the Cal State Northridge respondents. Budget Phase 1: Scale Creation and Testing The budget for the psychometric analysis, scale validation and invariance testing (see Appendix D for itemized budget) is estimated at $4,009.52 and includes items for personnel costs (including hourly rate, graduate assistant, and university required benefit cost), travel costs to the Sports Academy facility from Cal State Northridge (initial consultation meeting was not included) and a 26% indirect cost that is required by the university. Phase 2: Establishing Clinical Criteria The budget for the clinical criteria testing (see Appendix D for itemized budget) is estimated at $2,166.52 and includes items for personnel costs (including hourly rate, graduate assistant, and university required benefit cost), travel costs to the Sports Academy facility from Cal State Northridge (initial consultation meeting was not included), participant incentives for recruitment at Cal State Northridge and a 26% indirect cost that is required by the university. Timeline Phase 1: Scale Creation and Testing The analysis and written report for phase 1 will be completed roughly 45-60 days following the completion of data collection by Mindset Development personnel. Phase 1: Establishing Clinical Criteria The analysis and written report for phase 2 will be completed roughly 45-60 days after the completion of respondent recruitment at participating sites.