Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale: Two Validation Studies

TLDR

Study 1 had participants ride an exercise bicycle under control and external‑focus conditions, while Study 2 had them ride a bicycle and jog on a minitrampoline and then choose one of these activities for a third session. The PACES showed high internal consistency, predicted greater enjoyment in the external‑focus condition, correlated negatively with boredom in the control condition, related to participants’ activity choices, had high test‑retest reliability for jogging and moderate for bicycling, and thus provided preliminary evidence of its reliability and validity.

Abstract

Two studies examined the reliability and validity of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES). In Study 1, each subject rode an exercise bicycle under control and external focus conditions. The PACES had high internal consistency in both conditions. As predicted, subjects reported enjoying the exercise more, as measured by the PACES, in the external focus condition. Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation in the control condition between subjects' PACES scores and their scores on a measure of boredom proneness. In Study 2, each subject rode an exercise bicycle and jogged on a minitrampoline in separate sessions; each then chose one of these activities for their third session. Again, the PACES had high internal consistency. And, as predicted, there was a significant relationship between subjects' PACES ratings (completed after each activity) and their choices of activity. Test-retest reliability was high for jogging and moderate for bicycling. These studies provide preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the PACES.