Development and Validation of the Attitude Towards Transgression Scale (ATTS)

Boczko, Richard James (2025) Development and Validation of the Attitude Towards Transgression Scale (ATTS). Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

Preview

Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

Transgression in sport can be defined as overstepping boundaries or limits—or in other words, breaking the rules. Whether exhibited as antisocial behaviour towards teammates or opponents, aggression, or cheating, transgression in sport is widespread and a difficult problem to solve. The aim of this thesis was to contribute to the body of research seeking to understand transgression in sport by developing an effective method of measuring attitude towards rule-breaking among triathletes. The development of the attitude towards transgression scale (ATTS) began with a mixed-methods pilot study that enrolled experienced academics and triathlete participants. A methodical developmental protocol was followed, with the objective of ensuring the creation of a robust measure. For the second phase, a quantitative cross-sectional and correlational design study incorporating 126 experienced United Kingdom (UK)-based triathletes was conducted. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was adopted as the theoretical framework, and conceptually the ATTS corresponds to the ‘attitude towards the behaviour’ component of the TPB model. The study aimed to investigate and highlight potential correlations between intention (dependent variable) and attitude (the ATTS), personality, social desirability, athletic identity, and self-control, as well as subjective norm and past behaviour questions developed using the TPB item construction guidelines. For the final phase, a further 162 participants from the UK, United States (US), Canada, and Ireland were recruited. We employed the same quantitative cross-sectional and correlational design with the primary aim of re-examining the ATTS and its effectiveness. The findings suggested that one’s intention was significantly predicted by attitude (ATTS), subjective norm, and past behaviour. The results (to some degree) support the TPB as the theoretical framework. It is hoped that researchers can further test the ATTS to understand its effectiveness across wider sporting contexts.