Validation of the Italian version of the Student Athletes' Motivation toward Sport and Academics Questionnaire

Dual career (i.e., the combination of elite sport and higher education) is a strategic issue in Europe, and student-athletes’ motivations toward sport and academic achievements are deemed crucial. Thus, this study aimed to validate the Italian version of the Student Athletes’ Motivation toward Sport and Academics Questionnaire (SAMSAQ-IT). Three-hundred and twenty-eight Italian student-athletes (females 26 %, males 74 %) participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, and confirmatory factor analysis were applied to test the three-factor structure (i.e., SAM, student athletic motivation; AM, academic motivation; CAM, career athletic motivation) of the instrument, to assess the internal consistency of each subscale, and to verify the fit of the Italian model, respectively. Differences (p ≤ 0.05) in SAM-IT, AM-IT and CAM-IT scores were calculated in relation to gender and competition level. The three-factor structure was confirmed for the Italian model with an internal consistency ranging from good (SAM-IT: α = 0.84) to acceptable (CAM-IT: α = 0.71; AM-IT: α = 0.70), and an overall acceptable fit emerged. Independent of gender and competition level, Italian student-athletes showed highest CAM-IT and lowest SAM-IT values. Considering that in Europe distinct education and sport career paths exist, findings indicate that the assessment of student-athletes’ dual-career motivations requires an adapted, valid and reliable psychometric tool.