Translation and Psychometric Validation of the Arabic Version of the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) in the Physical Education Context

Abstract

Objectives. To translate and validate the Arabic version of the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) and evaluate its psychometric properties among Tunisian secondary school students in the physical education context. Materials and Methods. A total of 580 secondary school students (mean age = 17.48 ± 1.46 years) from different regions of Tunisia participated in the study. The original SIMS comprises 16 items assessing intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation. Students completed the Arabic version of the scale during physical education classes. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on a randomly selected subsample of 290 participants, whereas confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on an independent subsample of 290 participants. Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, construct validity, convergent validity, and composite reliability were evaluated. Results. One amotivation item demonstrated a factor loading below the 0.40 criterion and was removed, resulting in the SIMS-15. The revised scale demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.846, McDonald’s ω = 0.788, Guttman’s λ2 = 0.883) and excellent temporal stability over a two-week interval (ICC = 0.950, 95% CI = 0.901–0.975; r = 0.905, 95% CI = 0.818–0.951, p < 0.001). CFA confirmed the four-factor structure of the SIMS-15 (χ²/df = 1.542, CFI = 0.99, GFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.04). Average variance extracted ranged from 0.708 to 0.864, whereas composite reliability ranged from 0.877 to 0.962, indicating satisfactory convergent validity and reliability. Conclusions. The Arabic SIMS-15 demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity and can be recommended as a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing situational motivation among secondary school students in physical education. The adapted scale preserves the original four-factor structure while providing evidence of its suitability for use in Arabic-speaking educational settings.