Validation of Fitness Switching Costs Scale (FSCS): Examining the Factor Structure and Measurement Precision

Validating two shortened versions of the fitness switching cost scale

“…IRT analyses were conducted in R using the mirt package (Chalmers, 2012). The graded response models (GRM) (Samejima, 1996) were used to fit the data as in Kim and Lee’s (2023) study. Item fit was examined using Orlando and Thissen’s (2003) item fit index, with Bonferroni correction to adjust the family-wise Type I error under a = 0.05 (Paek and Cole, 2020).…”

“…We applied a systematic procedure to select the most useful three items for the FSCS-33 and one time for the FSCS-11. Specifically, we removed poorly performing items based on three criteria suggested by Kim and Lee (2023): item local dependence, item fit, and item information. Item local dependence arises when two items exhibit a high residual correlation after controlling for the trait being measured (Embretson and Reise, 2000).…”

“…Although longer scales with more items can enhance reliability by capturing a broader range of information and incorporating various facets of the construct of interest, the inclusion of additional items presents the risk of redundancy or less representative items (Maloney et al ., 2011). In the case of our study, the presence of redundant content within certain items of the FSCS warrants careful consideration of item merge or removal for items sharing similar content (Kim and Lee, 2023). Consequently, the selection of highly useful items in a short scale can offer several advantages.…”

“…As reflected in this note, the findings from the Kim and Lee’s (2023) study clearly suggested advantages of shortening the scale, revealing several items with psychometric issues such as redundancy and low reliability. In addition, our preliminary survey showed participants’ concerns about the scale’s length, as detailed in the following section.…”

“…A recent validation study of the FSCS (Kim and Lee, 2023) echoed potential benefits of reducing the number of items in the FSCS. Using data from U.S. fitness consumers, the researchers examined the degree of measurement precision of the FSCS using item response theory (IRT).…”