Verification of the Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Novelty Need Satisfaction Scale in Physical Education

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to validate the Chinese version of the Novelty Need Satisfaction Scale (NNSS) within physical education (PE) contexts, incorporating three distinct studies to examine its reliability, validity, and measurement invariance across gender and different samples.

Methods

Study 1 involved translating the original NNSS into Chinese and evaluating it through confirmatory factor analysis, item analysis, and assessments of internal consistency reliability among 390 students (53.8% male, 46.2% female), averaging 14.5 years in age. Study 2 assessed the discriminant validity of the Chinese NNSS by exploring correlations between novelty need satisfaction and three conventional basic psychological needs (BPNs) - autonomy, competence, and relatedness, in a larger cohort of 845 students (51.7% male, 48.3% female), with an average age of 14.8 years. This study also investigated the relationships between novelty need satisfaction, autonomous motivation, and enjoyment in PE. Study 3 examined the measurement invariance of the Chinese NNSS across gender and different samples, using a sample of 1235 students (52.6% male, 47.4% female), with an average age of 14.6 years.

Results

The one-factor, five-item structure of the Chinese NNSS was confirmed in Study 1. Study 2 demonstrated the distinct yet covariant nature of novelty need satisfaction among BPNs and its predictive capability for enjoyment in PE through autonomous motivation. Study 3 confirmed the measurement invariance of the Chinese NNSS across gender and samples, validating its reliability and applicability.

Conclusion

The validation of the Chinese NNSS within PE settings not only adds the need for novelty to the motivational sequence proposed by self-determination theory (SDT) but also emphasizes its significant role in enhancing autonomous motivation and enjoyment. This study suggests the scale’s utility for future research in exploring the dynamics among BPNs and provides deeper insights into the motivational processes in PE.

Keywords:

• self-determination theory
• basic psychological needs
• cross-cultural validation
• need for novelty

Ethics Approval

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by Research Ethics Committee National Taiwan University (reference: 202112ES052).

Informed Consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants and their parents included in the study.

Disclosure

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC 111-2410-H-259-036).