Gender Perceptıon In Sports: A Scale Development Study

Abstract The term of gender perception refers to the socially defined responsibilities and roles of men and women in society, and it is observed that gender studies are among the frequently examined topics in Turkey. However, although gender studies in sports have a remarkable place today, when the relevant literature is examined, it is understood that a valid and reliable scale is needed because of the scarcity in the number of gender-related measurement tools and absence of a measurement tool that allows detecting individuals' gender perceptions in sports. In this regard, the aim of the research was to reveal the extent to which individuals' gender perception levels in sports occur and to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool that measures gender perceptions in sports. The research was conducted on a total of 805 individuals (357 within the scope of Exploratory Factor Analysis, 448 individuals within the scope of Confirmatory Factor Analysis) aged 18 and over, who reside in the city Bayburt and are interested in sports and follow the sports agenda regularly. During the preparation of the Gender Perception in Sports Scale , literature review, expert opinion and pilot study were carried out. In this regard, "Personal Information Form" and "Gender Perception in Sports Scale "which had been prepared by the researcher were used as measurement tools. In the study, expert opinions were consulted for the content validity of the scale: Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyzes were conducted for construct validity; For criterion validity, the relationship between the "Gender Perception in Sports Scale" and the "Ambivalent Sexism Scale" was examined. Additionally, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was examined for the reliability of the study. As a result of the analyses, it was concluded that a five-factor structure (gender perception regarding media, gender perception regarding sports management, gender perception regarding sports environment, gender perception regarding sports branch and gender perception regarding equality in sports) was revealed and this five-point Likert type scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool. Keywords: Sports, gender, gender perception, gender perception in sports, scale development