Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale With a College-Aged Sample of Men and Women

Abstract

The 2-factor model proposed by Ryckman, Robbins, Thornton, and Cantrell (1982) for describing responses to the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale (PSES) was tested in a sample of male and female college students (N = 313). The factor structure was tested using confirmatory factor analysis with maximum likelihood estimation in LISREL 8.20 (Jökog & Sörbom, 1996a). The two-factor model for the PSES may not represent an entirely acceptable fit to the data (x²[208, N = 313] = 410, p < .0001, root mean square error of approximation = .06 [90% confidence interval = .05-.07], standardized root mean square residual = .06, Non-Normed Fit Index = .80, Goodness of Fit Index = .89). Examination of the standardized residuals and modification indexes (MIs) in the factor-loading matrix identified possible problems with the proposed 2-factor model. The number of large standardized residuals suggested that the 2-factor model did not accurately predict the relations among several pairs of items, and the MIs suggested that some items may cross-load or even load on a different factor. Because the 2-factor model provided by Ryckman et al. (1982) may not represent an entirely satisfactory fit to the PSES responses of male and female college students, further research proposing and testing various solutions to PSES responses is necessary.