Testing the Psychometric Properties of the Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC) with Athletes

Implications for Athlete Leadership Research

Authors

Keywords:

factorial validity, measurement, sport psychology, trait emotional intelligence

Abstract

The examination of emotional competence in relation to sport leadership has centered on the coach. However, anecdotal and empirical evidence suggests that emotional competence is an important construct for researchers to consider among athletes given the central leadership roles they assume on their teams. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to assess the construct validity of the Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC; Brasseur et al., 2013)—a trait emotional competence measure that conceptually aligns with leadership development theory (i.e., intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies). The results of the present study did not support the 10-factor structure of the PEC with a sample of athletes. Further psychometric evaluations of the PEC are required to build a comprehensive understanding of its construct validity in sport contexts, particularly with an athlete population. We encourage researchers to continue such efforts and recommend that, at present, the PEC be used with caution in athlete leadership and sport psychology research.

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Published

2022-02-13