Spanish validation of the effective communication scale in soccer

Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to translate and validate the Effective Communication Scale in Team Sports into Spanish (SECTS-2S). In Study 1 participated 276 male (88.40 %) and female (11.60 %) soccer players, with aged between 16-42 (M = 18.42; SD = 2.71). Results show a three first-order factors structure (acceptance, negative conflict, and distinctiveness) and adequate internal consistency were found. Study 2 involved 453 soccer players of both genders (89.40 % male and 10.60 % female) and aged between 16-39 years (M = 20.86; SD = 3.56). Likewise, adequate values in the factorial structure with a three-factor structure and internal consistency were obtained (α and ω = .75-.83). In addition, the SECTS-2S showed adequate discriminatory and nomological validity with the group cohesion variable (p < .05). Finally, it was shown that the instrument was invariant with respect to the competitive level of players. Thus, the SECTS-2S is a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure intra-team communication in team sports.