Perceptualand Motor Skillr, 2007, 104,416-418. O Perceptual and Motor Skills 2007

AN EXAMINATION O F THE ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE USING COLLEGIATE WHEELCHAIR

BASKETBALL STUDENT ATHLETES '

MARK VERMILLION RICHARD A. DODDER

Wichita State University Oklahoma State University

Summa9.-The purpose was to examine the construct validity of the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES). The construct validity of the scale was examined by apply- ing it to collegiate wheelchair basketball student athletes at an NCAA sanctioned wheelchair basketball tournament at a mid-sized university in the south central United States (N=68). In accordance with previous research on the scale, Cronbach alpha was 3 6 ; confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure. The scale is use- ful for measuring global self-esteem in collegiate wheelchair basketball student ath- letes.

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was constructed by Rosenberg (1965) to measure the global self-esteem of high school students, although it has been used in able-bodied populations including crack cocaine drug users (Wang, Siegal, Falck, & Carlson, 2001) and the visually impaired (Harper, Roessler, & Boone, 1979). The reliability of the scale over the past forty years has indicated good internal consistency. Recent examinations showed the scale is one-dimensional in nature (Shevlin, Bunting, & Lewis, 1995).

Previous research has shown individuals with physical disabilities have lower self-esteem as compared to the able-bodied population (Gerschick & Miller, 1995). In contrast, those persons with disabilities that engage in sporting activities, especially organized sports, have a more favorable view of their bodies (Susman, 1994). There has not, however, been any research con- ducted that applied the scale to collegiate wheelchair basketball student athletes.

In accord with the recent emphasis on sample-specific validity and reli- ability evidence theory (see Sherrill & O'Connor, 1999; Thompson & Vacha-Haase, 2000; Yun & Ulrich, 2002), and in conjunction with Skordilis, Sherrill, Yilla, Koutsouki, and Stavrou's (2002) recommendation that instru- ments designed for able-bodied persons be re-examined for athletes with disabilities, this research examined the construct validity of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965) using collegiate wheelchair basketball student ath- letes.

'Address correspondence to Mark Vermillion, Department of Kinesiology and Sport Studies, Sport Administration, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260-0016 or e-mail (mark. vermillion@wichita.edu).

SELF-ESTEEM IN WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL PLAYERS 417

METHOD

Pavticipants Respondents were 68 collegiate wheelchair basketball student athletes

participating in an NCAA wheelchair basketball tournament. The tourna- ment included eight of the nine recognized U.S. collegiate wheelchair basket- ball teams. Teams were all-male (n=5) , co-ed (n=2) , or all-female (1). The sample contained more men than women (83.8% vs 16.2%), more athletes with acquired than congenital disabilities (56.8% vs 43.3%), had a mean age of 22.5 yr. (SD= 3.4), and was composed of freshmen (25.4%), sophomores (11.9%), juniors (25.4%), seniors (28.4%), and graduate students (8.9%), re- spectively.

The Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale is a self-report measure of self- esteem. Respondents rated ten items which are scored on a 4-point response scale. The reliability analysis yielded an alpha coefficient of .86 with item correlation coefficients ranging from .25 to .76, indicating good internal reli- ability.

Following Institutional Review Board approval, questionnaires were dis- tributed to all present members of participating teams (N=68), which con- stituted the purposive sample. Questionnaires distributed to the respondents included the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale to measure self-esteem and addi- tional demographic questions (age, sex, year in school, and class of disabili- ty).

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to examine the construct validity of Rosenberg7s scale. Factor loadings were fairly high, ranging from .63 to .85. One dominant factor appeared to explain a substantial amount of variance (45.5%), also confirmed using the scree test.2 Chi square was 332.14 (df=68, F<.OOl); x2/ df=4.9, the recommended 2-5 range indicating good reliability (as cited by Skordilis, et al., 2002). Thus, the CFA supported the current one-dimensional model. The Rosenberg scale as originally con- structed for the able-bodied population can be used in the wheelchair bas- ketball student athlete population.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Owens (1994) and Demo (1992) caution that many conclusions of past

research findings when studying self-esteem and self-esteem tests could be methodological artifacts. The small sample size (N=68) could have contrib- uted to this research's results; Cattell (1952) recommended that factor analysis be performed on populations with more than 250 individuals. The small sample is representative of the collegiate wheelchair basketball student

"actor loadings available in Document APD2007-008. Remit $5.00 for photocopy to the Ar- chive for Psychological Data, P.O. Box 7922, Missoula, MT 59807-7922.

M. VERMILLlON & R. A. DODDER

athlete population. By examining the construct validity, researchers could as- sess whether being involved in athletics or being a student athlete affects self-esteem of persons with physical disabilities.

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Accepted Fehruay 1, 2007