An Analysis of the Purposes for Engaging in Physical Activity Scale (PEPAS) as an Instrument for Curriculum Research

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and factorial validity of the Purposes for Engaging in Physical Activity Scale (PEPAS). The PEPAS is an instrument designed to assess purposes for engaging in physical activity. The instrument is based on a personal meaning curriculum model and contains 22 items representing the three key concepts (i.e., Individual Development, Environmental Coping, Social Interaction) of the Purpose Process Curriculum Framework (PPCF), a conceptual framework for curricular decision-making in physical education. The three key concepts of the PPCF served as the hypothesized structure for the PEPAS. The PEPAS was administered to fourth-grade (n = 259) and sixth-grade (n = 392) students participating in coeducational physical education classes. Stability coefficients over a 2-week period were. 74 and .75 for grades four and six, respectively. Principal components analysis and alpha factor analysis were utilized with two rotational schemes to test the hypothesized structure of the PEPAS. Results for grade four revealed four factors (Social Interaction, Physical Challenge, Individual Development, Movement Skills) with eigenvalues greater than one. Internal consistency coefficients for these factors ranged from .76 to .88. Four factors (Movement Skills, Personal Integration, Sports Participation, Social Interaction) were also identified for grade six with internal consistency coefficients ranging from .55 to .81. Recommendations for further study are discussed.