CONSTRUCT-VALIDITY OF PHYSICAL SELF-DESCRIPTION QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES - RELATIONS TO EXTERNAL CRITERIA

The Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) is a multidimension al physical self-concept instrument with 11 scales: Strength, Body Fat , Activity, Endurance/Fitness, Sports Competence, Coordination, Health , Appearance, Flexibility, Global Physical, and Global Esteem. The pur pose of this study is to evaluate the construct validity of PSDQ respo nses in relation to 23 external criteria, including measures of body c omposition, physical activity, endurance, strength, and flexibility fo r 192 (113 boys and 79 girls) high school students. Each external vali dity criterion was predicted a priori to be most highly correlated wit h one of the PSDQ scales. In support of the convergent validity of the PSDQ responses, every predicted correlation was statistically signifi cant. In support of the discriminant validity of the PSDQ responses, m ost predicted correlations were larger than other correlations involvi ng the same criterion. These results support the construct validity of PSDQ responses in relation to external criteria and their potential u sefulness in a wide variety of sports and exercise settings.