Psychometric properties of the indicators of professional competence for exercise instructors for elderly people

Abstract

Physical exercise and activity may prevent cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases, and promise mastery experience, self-persuasion, and diminution in negative sentimental states in elderly people. This study was to examine the validity of the indicators of professional competence for exercise instructors of the elderly (IPCEIE). We have reported to use the Delphi technique and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to develop the IPCEIE with 72item (IPCEIE-72) (three second-orders: knowledge, skill, and attitude). However, to date there has been no study of the validity of psychiatry IPCEIE. A convenience sample of 145 exercise instructors (46.36 ± 14.64) was self-administered data from structural questionnaire. The total score of the three dimensions reflect the overall IPCEIE status (i.e., third-order factor). However, factor structures of the IPCEIE have not been examined. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to examine 10-factor first-order models, 3-dimentions second-order models, and one third-order model of the IPCEIE using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We also examined 83-item of the original IPCEIE (IPCEIE-83) to compare with the IPCEIE-72.The IPCEIE-72 showed an unaccepted model (χ 2 /df=6.516, CFI=0.92, NNFI=0.91, and RMSEA=0.196) and all 72 items had sufficient factor loadings (0.59-0.86). Comparing to the original IPCEIE, the IPCEIE-83 also resulted a good model fit (χ 2 /df=5.462, CFI=0.93, NNFI=0.92, and RMSEA=0.176) and all 83 items had sufficient factor loadings (0.59-0.85). In summary, both the IPCEIE-72 and IPCEIE-83 had satisfactory construct validity in the one third-order model of the IPCEIE, but there did not converge in 3-dimentions second-order models of the IPCEIE-72. Therefore, we suggested that future users may use the IPCEIE-83 to capture the multiple dimensions of IPCEIE with management skill items although some exercise experts did not think there are needed.