Examination of gender attitudes of sport sciences students

Purpose: This research was undertaken with the objective of developing a valid and reliable scale pertaining to gender discrimination in sports. Method: The study employed quantitative research methodologies, adhering to DeVellis' (2003) scale development procedures. The research focused on sports science students in Turkey, with data collected from a sample of 492 undergraduate students (261 male, 231 female) through convenience sampling. A question pool comprising 43 items was developed, and content validity was established via expert evaluations. The scale's structure was subsequently validated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Findings: The Social Gender Scale in Sports comprises 12 items and is characterized by a three-factor structure: Opportunity Inequality, Stereotypical Judgments, and Perception of Equality. The scale accounts for a total explained variance of 62.558%, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.785 to 0.802. The factor loadings (0.551–0.842) and fit indices (RMSEA: 0.076; CFI: 0.923) substantiate the scale's validity and reliability. Result: This study seeks to enhance both Turkish and international scholarly discourse by developing a valid and reliable instrument to assess the gender attitudes of students in sports science. The three-factor structure of the Gender in Sports Scale encapsulates the multifaceted nature of gender attitudes and holds the potential to facilitate the egalitarian transformation of the sports domain. Keywords: Social gender, sports science, scale development, gender equality, stereotype.