Development and validation of an evaluation instrument for assessing the quality of teaching and learning in Swiss children’s and youth sports

Summary Youth and Sport (Y+S) constitutes Switzerland’s most extensive sports support system, encompassing over 90 sports within a state-subsidized and content-regulated training system. Upholding the quality of sports activities necessitates effective (appealing and high-quality) education for Y+S instructors. The Y+S education model transmits teaching content for high-quality Y+S activities through the “Teaching” domain of action, which closely aligns with contemporary instructional quality research. We developed the Y+S evaluation instrument to systematically evaluate this field of action in practical scenarios. This questionnaire digitally surveys children and youth participating in Y+S activities, employing items to assess four fields of action. We realized a nationwide quantitative validation study based on three qualitative pilot studies. Two surveys were administered to N = 1,230 (53.7% female; M = 13.99 years, SD = 2.36) and N = 851 (53.7% female; M = 13.96 years, SD = 2.18) children and youths. We conducted confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to assess the factorial validity and reliability of the developed Y+S evaluation instrument. Following systematic item reduction, CFAs consistently demonstrated good model fits. All four fields of action with their 17 recommendations for action were represented by 51 items, attesting to the validity and reliability of the evaluation instrument. In conclusion, a validated evaluation instrument is now available in German, French, and Italian and will be implemented annually to assess Y+S activities in Switzerland moving forward.