A scale development study to measure the levels of achievement-oriented decision making in sport

Aim: The aim of the study was to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool to determine the level of achievement-oriented decision-making of referees and coaches working in the field of sport. Method: The scale was administered to a total of 250 referees and coaches (197 males and 53 females) working in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions. The participants were selected from different provinces to ensure diversity. Stratified sampling method was used in the study. In this method, the participants were stratified according to the sports branches (such as football, basketball, volleyball) in which they were coaching or refereeing and random samples were selected from each stratum. In this context, the sample was structured in a way that better reflects the population. As data collection tools, a Personal Information Form and the Success-Oriented Decision-Making Scale (SODMS)—developed to assess the validity and reliability of participants' levels of success-oriented decision-making—were utilized. Findings: In the analysis of the data obtained within the scope of the study, exploratory factor analysis was used for the construct validity of the scale and confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify the structure obtained as a result of this analysis. In this analysis, the extent to which the theoretically determined factor structure overlaps with the data was examined. The goodness of fit indices revealed how well the model fits the data. In the study, CFA was conducted to evaluate the model fit based on several fit indices, including χ²/df, CFI, GFI, AGFI, NFI, IFI, TLI, RMSEA, and RMR. Results: In conclusion, the validity and reliability of the Achievement-Oriented Decision Making Scale was tested. Keywords: Decision making, Achievement Orientation, Sport, Proactive Decision Making, Strategic Decision Making