Development and Initial Validation of the Revised Sports Interests Inventory (SPIT-36): An Inventory to Assess Sport-Related Interests in Adolescents and Emerging Adults

The Sports Interests Inventory (SPIT) measures adolescents’ and emerging adults’ interest in sporting activities. While previous analyses showed promising psychometric properties, revisions to some scales and greater test efficiency were recommended. This study further developed and validated the SPIT. First, additional items were generated to reduce construct-irrelevant multidimensionality and better capture domains of interest, then refined by an expert panel. Second, samples of 245 secondary school and 192 university students were analyzed using classical test theory and item response theory, yielding the 36-item SPIT (SPIT-36). Third, psychometric quality was reexamined in 474 university students. Construct validity was supported by correlations with three validated measures. Gender, age, and several sports-related characteristics were considered in evaluating differential item functioning and criterion validity. Results indicate that the SPIT-36 is a psychometrically sound, efficient instrument suitable for individual and group diagnostics with adolescents and emerging adults.