A reliability analysis of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation Youth Fitness test items.
Creators: name: Field, Arthur Edward James
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2011

description: A complete reliability analysis of the AAHPER Test has not been reported in the physical education literature. Previous reports have dealt only with the test-retest reliability coefficients of one or more items. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive reliability analysis of the AAHPER Test items. More specifically the problems of this study were (1) to determine the average and best test-retest reliability coefficients of the test items; (2) to determine the standard error of measurement (absolute accuracy) of the test items as computed by the standard correlation formula method and the analysis of variance technique; (3) to determine if the practice effect is significant for each test item; (4) to determine if the test items measure with an accuracy sufficient to distinguish between the subjects tested; and (5) to determine for each test item if subject differences (differences between subjects) are significantly larger than practice differences (differences between trials). Fifty-seven untrained male students enrolled in the Required Physical Education Programme at the University of British Columbia were tested once a week for four consecutive weeks with the AAHPER Test. The items administered were pull-ups, sit-ups, standing broad jump, shuttle run, 50-yard dash, softball throw and 600-yard run-walk. The data from each test item were analyzed in order to obtain (a) means and standard deviations for each of four trials, (b) between trials correlation coefficients and an average reliability coefficient, (c) standard errors of measurement computed by the standard correlation formula method and the analysis of variance technique, and (d) three F ratios (analysis of variance). It was concluded on the basis of the reliability analysis of the data collected that (1) the average test-retest reliability coefficients of the test items were pull-ups .938, sit-ups .861, standing broad jump .899, shuttle run .776, 50-yard dash .792, softball throw .940 and 600-yard run-walk .759; (2) the standard errors of measurement computed by the standard correlation formula method and the analysis of variance technique were pull-ups (correlation formula method 0.794 and analysis of variance technique 0.834), sit-ups (6.250 and 6.934), standing broad jump (3.124 and 3.353 inches), shuttle run (0.227 and 0.239 seconds), 50-yard dash (0.194 and 0.190 seconds), softball throw (9.100 and 9.170 feet), and 600-yard run-walk (5.000 and 5.660 seconds); (3) analysis of variance results showed a significant practice effect over four trials for all items except the softball throw; (4) analysis of variance results showed that the AAHPER Test items measure with an accuracy sufficient to distinguish between the subjects tested; and (5) analysis of variance results showed that for each test item subject differences are not significantly larger than practice differences; and since they usually are, it can be concluded that the practice effect must have been severe. The findings of this study showed that the pull-ups and softball throw variables were highly reliable. Thus when using these items it seems reasonable to accept first trial scores as sufficiently accurate for both survey and experimental purposes. The standing broad jump, 50-yard dash and the 600-yard run-walk items had relatively high reliability; however, results showed that several preliminary practice trials are probably necessary before scores become sufficiently reliable for research purposes. The sit-ups and shuttle run were the least reliable items of the AAHPER Test. These items seem to require at least four preliminary practice trials before a satisfactory level of reliability can be attained.