Lifting the curtain on motivation in exercise: Validation of two questionnaires for physical education and leisure time in French and German

The increase of cross-cultural studies and intervention programs, based on the self-determination
theory, highlights the urge for validated scales to ensure high-quality research, particularly in the
domain of physical education. The present study aimed at evaluating the psychometric properties
and measurement invariance of the revised Perceived Locus of Causality Scale (PLOC-R) in
physical education and the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-II) during
leisure-time translations from English into German and French among youth. Data obtained from
1808 Luxemburgish students supported the five-factor structure of the translated PLOC-R as well
as for the BREQ-II and showed good internal reliability as well as concurrent, discriminant, and
nomological validity. Measurement invariance analyses across the two languages revealed configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance for both questionnaires. The findings provide
promising evidence for the reliability and validity of the translated PLOC-R and BREQ-II and
support their use in cross-cultural and physical activity–related motivational research.