Talent development environment questionnaire: Validation and exploratory analysis across international basketball academies

The Talent Development Environment Questionnaire (TDEQ) is widely used to assess athlete perceptions of developmental environments, yet validation across diverse populations remains limited. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of an adapted 19-item TDEQ across four international basketball academies over six years of annual assessment. Respondents included 197 athletes (295 responses) and 53 staff (129 responses) completing annual assessments. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized 5-factor structure (CFI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.06). The adapted TDEQ demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.89) and maintained temporal stability across six years (α = 0.84–0.91) despite 83% annual cohort turnover. Reliability remained consistent across athlete and staff respondents (Δα = 0.01) and across locations (α = 0.83–0.91). Observed geographic variation emerged alongside observed stakeholder differences in HQP and SN (staff means exceeded athlete means by 0.27–0.39 points), but these comparisons were treated as descriptive because scalar invariance was not supported. Mixed-effects analyses indicated no clear linear year-on-year trend after accounting for respondent clustering, stakeholder group, and academy location; sensitivity analyses suggested year-to-year fluctuation rather than a consistent linear trend. These findings support the adapted TDEQ as a reliable monitoring tool within this international academy network while highlighting the need for cautious interpretation of cross-group comparisons and temporal patterns in transient populations.