@article{article_1663720, title={Peer Support in Sport Environments Scale: Validity and Reliability Study}, journal={Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi}, volume={22}, pages={614–633}, year={2025}, DOI={10.33711/yyuefd.1663720}, author={Yücekaya, Mehmet Akif}, keywords={School sports, peer support, sport environments, scale development}, abstract={This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale to evaluate the perception of peer support in the sport environments of students competing in school sports. The scale development process comprised literature review, item pooling, expert opinion, pilot application and psychometric analyses. Data were gathered from 494 students for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and 419 students for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA revealed that the scale had a single-factor structure and explained 47.6% of the total variance. CFA analyses supported the construct validity of the scale, and the fit indices of the model were acceptable (χ²/df = 2.19, RMSEA = 0.0532, CFI = 0.981, TLI = 0.974, SRMR = 0.0272). In addition, a two-factor alternative model was also tested; however, it was not preferred because the fit indices were significantly lower than the one-factor model (ΔCFI > .01; ΔRMSEA > .015). As a result of internal consistency analyses, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.872 and McDonald’s Omega coefficient as 0.874. In conclusion, this one-dimensional, 8-item scale was validated as a valid and reliable measurement tool for assessing peer support perceived by students competing in school sports in sport environments. It is recommended to examine the validity of the scale in different age groups, sport types and cultural contexts in further studies.}, number={2}, publisher={Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi}