Toward a more culturally nuanced approach to assessing athletic and exercise identities in sport psychology research: a confirmatory factor analysis approach with South Korean male student-athletes

The identities of "athlete" and "exerciser" share conceptual similarities but can be differentiated by the ways in which their respective objectives, motivations, and intentions significantly diverge. However, there is a gap in the literature addressing the ambiguity and inconsistent use of these terms in the context of South Korea. The linguistic discrepancy in how these terms are conceptualised and operationalised has important implications for the study of athletes' long-term health and well-being, where a nuanced perspective on identity is necessary for understanding physical activity behaviour and health outcomes through the transition out of competitive sport. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to refine the terminology used in the previously translated versions of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale and Exercise Identity Scale and examine whether refined questionnaires appropriately represent similar but distinct concepts. Using software program R, this aim was addressed through a two-factor confirmatory factor analysis of the measurement scales within a sample of South Korean male student-athletes (N = 232, Mage = 19.93 ± 1.22 years). Global fit indices of the final model demonstrated acceptable fit χ2 (101) = 208.512, p < .01, CFI = .95, RMSEA = .07 (90% Confidence Interval: .06 – .08), SRMR = .06 and the local fit indices further supported convergent and discriminant validity of the scales within the sample. Recognition of cultural differences and nuances related to the terms "athlete" vs. "exerciser" and "sport" vs. "exercise" is important for fostering a comprehensive understanding of these identities within sport and exercise psychology research.