Bull’s-Eye for Athletes (BEA): A measure of values-based behavior in sport and a psychometric evaluation using Rasch analysis

Background: Working with values and values-based behavioral change in psychologicalinterventions for athletes has become more common in sports psychology, but measuresadapted for the sports context are needed. A new instrument based on the Bull’s-Eye ValuesSurvey, called Bull’s-Eye for Athletes (BEA), was developed and adapted to assess values andvalues-based behavior in athletes. BEA consists of four values items, (1) Competition, (2)Training, (3) Preparation and recovery, and (4) Life outside of sport. Athletes identify theirvalues and rate their behavioral commitment for each value item and to what extent theyexperience obstacles behaving according to their values, both related to their sport and lifeoutside of sport.Methods: BEA was completed online by 155 athletes in Sweden competing at junior elite tosenior international level. Scale dimensionality, invariance, monotonicity of responsecategories, and reliability were investigated using Rasch analysis. Convergent anddiscriminant validity was also investigated through correlation with other scales.Results: Results indicated that BEA worked as a unidimensional scale with satisfactorypsychometric properties. Item probability functions were investigated, and responsecategories were merged to achieve ordered item thresholds. Scale reliability was good and aPerson Separation Index of .70 or above was reached for 89% of participants. No indication ofinvariance was found through differential item functioning (DIF) analyses for demographic(age, sex) or sport-related variables (competitive level, sport type, or current injury), nor fortemporal stability of item properties through test-retest. Convergent and discriminant validitywas supported by medium correlations with psychological inflexibility in athletes, generalvalued living, life satisfaction, subjective performance, and a few subtypes of performanceanxiety and sports motivation.Conclusions: BEA is a promising instrument for measuring and working with values andvalues-based behavior in sports. Response categories were merged for two items (competitionand training) to achieve ordered item thresholds. Labeling of the instrument’s responsecategories could be a potential improvement for BEA to be investigated. Furtherinvestigations are needed across various sports contexts with larger sample sizes, as well asevaluations of its usefulness in longitudinal designs in sports psychological interventionresearch as a measure of self-reported behavioral change.