Deriving and validating a short version of the physical literacy in children questionnaire

Title data

Carl, Johannes ; Mazzoli, Emiliano ; De Silva, Chathurani ; Herfet, Melinda ; Arundell, Lauren ; Sahlqvist, Shannon ; Veitch, Jenny ; Lander, Natalie ; Timperio, Anna ; Barnett, Lisa:
Deriving and validating a short version of the physical literacy in children questionnaire.
In: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. (2 December 2025) .
ISSN 1878-1861
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2025.11.018

Official URL:

Abstract in another language

Objectives
Physical literacy encompasses individual capabilities for lifelong physical activity. The Physical Literacy in Children Questionnaire (PL-C Quest) is a 30-item pictorial tool designed to measure children's physical literacy across four domains (physical, psychological, social, cognitive). However, a shorter version may be desirable for research and practice. Therefore, the study goal was to derive a short version of the PL-C Quest.
Design
Observational/cross-sectional.
Methods
The PL-C Quest was completed by children aged 8–12 years (N = 620) via digital tablet. To select the most indicative items, we calculated a self-developed aggregate score consisting of nine indicators: factor loading, internal consistency, item difficulty, item-total correlation, univariate and multivariate associations with proxy-reported physical activity, eligibility for boys and for girls (test fairness/subgroup validity), and cross-cultural generalisability. Items with the highest scores in each domain (points [pts]) were selected for the short version. We analysed the association between the sum scores of the short and long version.
Results
The items ‘cardiovascular endurance’ (20pts), ‘muscular endurance’ (20pts), ‘speed’ (22pts), and ‘movement skills’ (5pts) were selected for the physical domain; ‘motivation’ (20pts), ‘confidence’ (14pts), and ‘engagement/enjoyment’ (19pts) for the psychological; ‘relationships’ (15pts) and ‘society/culture’ (14pts) for the social; and ‘content knowledge’ (17pts), ‘strategy/planning’ (20 pts), and ‘tactics’ (18pts) for the cognitive domain. The domain-specific aggregate scores of the short version were strongly related to the respective scores of the long version (0.74 ≤ r ≤ 0.84).
Conclusion
The 12 items cover diverse yet central elements of children's physical literacy and empirically informed a short version of the PL-C Quest.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a journal
Refereed:	Yes
Keywords:	Exercise; Instrument; Measurement; Physical activity; Pictorial; Students
Institutions of the University:	Faculties > Faculty of Cultural Studies > Department of Sport Science > Chair Sport Science III - Social and Health Sciences in Sport > Chair Sport Science III - Social and Health Sciences in Sport - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Tittlbach
Result of work at the UBT:	No
DDC Subjects:	300 Social sciences > 300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology 600 Technology, medicine, applied sciences > 610 Medicine and health 700 Arts and recreation > 790 Sports, games, entertainment
Date Deposited:	05 Dec 2025 06:21
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2025 06:21
URI:	https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/95396