Development and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Motor Competence Questionnaire (AMCQ) for Adolescents

Abstract

BackgroundThere are no valid and reliable self-report measures designed to identify level of motor competence and suspected motor difficulties among 12–18year old adolescents. AimThis paper reports the development and evaluation of a self-report questionnaire (Adolescent Motor Competence Questionnaire; AMCQ) to address this need. MethodThe project proceeded in 3 phases; (A) item development, (B) content evaluation, and (C) examination of reliability and validity of the final questionnaire. Each phase was informed by criteria A and B in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), comments from a sample of 10 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years with a range of movement skills, key informants and international experts. A convenience sample of 38 adolescents completed the final version of the AMCQ. The McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND) was used to investigate concurrent validity. ResultsThe final version of the AMCQ comprised 26 items scored using a 4 point Likert scale with a maximum score of 104. Analyses revealed the questionnaire has an acceptable internal consistency (0.902) and 7day test-retest reliability (0.956). A moderate positive correlation between the AMCQ and the MAND of 0.491 (p<0.002) provides some evidence of concurrent validity. ConclusionThe development of the AMCQ was exploratory in nature and has the potential to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring motor competence in Australian adolescents.