Exploring Dynamics of Changes in Psychological Skills in the Development of Talented Athletes

In this study we examined changes in a psychological skill set, defined as crucial for the growth of talented athletes, through repeated assessments of the six-factor Psychological Characteristics of Development Excellence Questionnaire (PCDEQ). In a first phase of this study, we built and evaluated a French adaptation of the PCDEQ: the PCDEQ-SV (18 items). After confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha revealed that scales for its six factors ranged from very good to just below minimally acceptable as a model fit. The mean inter-item correlations for the scales, built on three items per scale, were optimal, leading us to assume that this short version was reliable. In the second phase, we analyzed the changes in the skill sets of 67 talented Swiss athletes who were given the PCDEQ-SV three times over 1 year. Feedback on the scores was provided to participants in comparison to the test's cutoffs after T1 and T2. The analysis then focused on those who scored below the cutoffs and their resources for skill improvements. We found that the highest number of participants scored below the cutoffs at testing times, T1 and T2 on Factors 2, 6 and 1. Changes in scores were characterized by overall dynamics of improvement. The resources most used to effect those changes were "personal work with no outside help," "discussions with significant others," and "specific work with the coach." The results are discussed in relation to the iGen's resources for self-determination of psychological skills improvement.