Overview

Theoretical background

Physical activity enjoyment can be defined as a positively valenced emotion that individuals experience in relation to physical activity, characterized by feelings such as pleasure, joy, and fun (Chen et al., 2021). This definition underscores the affective dimension of physical activity, highlighting the intrinsic emotional rewards that motivate individuals to engage in and persist with physical activities (Jekauc et al., 2012). The conceptualization of PA enjoyment according to this orientation emphasizes the importance of positive emotional responses as critical components driving physical activity engagement. Such enjoyment is not merely an incidental outcome of physical activity but a central element that can significantly influence an individual's motivation to initiate and maintain an active lifestyle (Jekauc, 2015). This perspective aligns with theories of motivation in the context of sport and exercise psychology, which suggest that positive affective experiences, including enjoyment, are essential for fostering intrinsic motivation towards physical activity (Wienke & Jekauc, 2016). Thus, understanding and enhancing PA enjoyment is pivotal for designing effective interventions aimed at increasing physical activity levels, improving physical health, and promoting psychological well-being.

In the framework of dual process theories, the role of enjoyment in the formation of intentions and the promotion of such formations is of significant interest. Dual process theories propose that human behavior is guided by two distinct systems of thought: the explicit (reflective) system and the implicit (or automatic) system (Strobach et al., 2020). The explicit system is deliberative and analytical, involving conscious decision-making processes, whereas the implicit system is driven by automatic, non-conscious processes, often influenced by emotions and heuristics.

Enjoyment, within this context, is posited as a crucial determinant that bridges both systems, influencing the formation of intentions toward engaging in physical activity. From the perspective of the explicit system, enjoyment can enhance the valuation of physical activity outcomes, making the activity more desirable and thereby strengthening the intention to engage in it. Individuals who experience high levels of enjoyment from physical activity are more likely to perceive it positively, which in turn influences their conscious decision-making process towards committing to these activities (Finne et al., 2022). Conversely, from the implicit system perspective, enjoyment serves as an affective cue that can trigger automatic associations with physical activity (Weyland et al., 2020). These positive emotional experiences can lead to the formation of strong, automatic impulses to engage in physical activity (Weyland et al., 2022), bypassing the need for reflective thought. Over time, repeated experiences of enjoyment can reinforce these automatic associations, making the initiation of physical activity more likely even in the absence of deliberate intention (Strobach et al., 2020).

Chen, C., Weyland, S., Fritsch, J., Woll, A., Niessner, C., Burchartz, A., Schmidt, S. C., & Jekauc, D. (2021). A Short Version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale: Development and Psychometric Properties. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11035.

Finne, E., Nigg, C., Weyland, S., Sauzet, O., Wienke, B., & Jekauc, D. (2022). Examining the role of affective states in relation to exercise intentions and participation in extra-curricular exercise classes at university: A repeated measurement observational study. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(815466).

Jekauc, D. (2015). Enjoyment during exercise mediates the effects of an intervention on exercise adherence. Psychology, 6(01), 48.

Jekauc, D., Voelkle, M., Wagner, M. O., Mewes, N., & Woll, A. (2012). Reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the German version of the physical activity enjoyment scale. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 38(1), 104-115.

Strobach, T., Englert, C., Jekauc, D., & Pfeffer, I. (2020). Predicting adoption and maintenance of physical activity in the context of dual-process theories. Performance Enhancement & Health, 8(1), 100162.

Weyland, S., Finne, E., Krell-Roesch, J., & Jekauc, D. (2020). (How) Does Affect Influence the Formation of Habits in Exercise? [Original Research]. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(2866). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.578108

Weyland, S., Fritsch, J., Feil, K., & Jekauc, D. (2022). Investigating the relation between positive affective responses and exercise instigation habits in an affect-based intervention for exercise trainers: A longitudinal field study [Original Research]. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.994177

Wienke, B., & Jekauc, D. (2016). A qualitative analysis of emotional facilitators in exercise. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1296.

Development of a short version of PACES (PACES-S)

The original version of PACES

In 1991, Deborah Kendzierski and Kenneth J. DeCarlo developed and validated the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) to measure an individual’s level of enjoyment following a physical activity behavior. The authors recognized the need for this scale because physical activity enjoyment may influence future physical activity adherence. In addition, various factors related to the physical activity behavior may influence the enjoyment derived from it. Therefore, a measurement tool was needed to effectively explore this reciprocal relationship.

In its original version, PACES consisted of the item stem “Please rate how you feel at the moment about the physical activity you have been doing” and 18 bipolar items, each with 7 levels ranging, for example, from “I enjoy it” to “I hate it” or “I feel bored” to “I feel interested”.

Kendzierski, D., & DeCarlo, K. J. (1991). Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale: Two validation studies. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 13(1), 50–64.

Adaptions of the original version of PACES

While the validation of the original PACES was conducted with undergraduates (age range 18-24 years), Motl and colleagues (2001) validated the scale for eighth grade adolescent girls, making some modifications in the process. They shortened the scale to 16 items, reworded some of them to make them easier to understand, and changed the response format to a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 5 (“strongly agree”). The item stem was “When I am active…”

The German version of this adapted version of PACES was validated using data from German-speaking children and adolescents in a study by Jekauc and colleagues (2013), and data from German-speaking adults in a later study by Jekauc and colleagues (2020). Specifically, reliability, factorial- and criterion-related validity, and measurement invariance were tested.

Jekauc, D., Nigg, C., Nigg, C. R., Reichert, M., Krell-Roesch, J., Oriwol, D., Schmidt, S., Wunsch, K., & Woll, A. (2020). Measurement properties of the German version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale for adults. PloS one, 15(11), e0242069. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242069

Jekauc, D., Voelkle, M., Wagner, M. O., Mewes, N., & Woll, A. (2013). Reliability, validity, and measurement invariance of the German version of the physical activity enjoyment scale. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 38(1), 104–115. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jss088

Motl, R. W., Dishman, R. K., Saunders, R., Dowda, M., Felton, G., & Pate, R. R. (2001). Measuring enjoyment of physical activity in adolescent girls. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 21(2), 110–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(01)00326-9

 

Short version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale

However, Chen and colleagues (2021) listed some limitations of the long version of PACES that have been identified in various validation studies, including lack of unidimensionality and methodological problems related to the shared variance of negatively and positively worded items. In addition, the conceptualization of enjoyment has been criticized, such as some items confounding the subjective feeling of enjoyment with its antecedents or consequences. Therefore, in the process of developing a short version of PACES, the authors took a step back and initially defined enjoyment as “a positively valenced emotion directed toward the PA associated with feelings such as pleasure, joy, and fun”. Thus, according to Scherer’s (2010) component process model, enjoyment can be divided into emotional components. As the subjective feeling component was considered particularly relevant for the maintenance of physical activity, the short version explicitly focused on the subjective feeling.

Based on content validity ratings by six experts, four of the sixteen items were included in PACES-S. The short scale was then validated using data from German-speaking children and adolescents (Chen et al., 2021), as well as adults (Fritsch et al., 2022). Reliability, factorial- and criterion-related validity, and measurement invariance across gender were examined. Further, an English version of PACES-S was tested for its psychometric properties and measurement invariance across languages (Weyland et al., 2024).

Chen, C., Weyland, S., Fritsch, J., Woll, A., Niessner, C., Burchartz, A., Schmidt, S. C. E., & Jekauc, D. (2021). A short version of the physical activity enjoyment scale: Development and psychometric properties. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11035. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111035

Fritsch, J., Weyland, S., Feil, K., Burchartz, A., Schmidt, S., Woll, A., Strauch, U., Wienke, B., & Jekauc, D. (2022). A study on the psychometric properties of the short version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale in an adult population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15294. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215294

Scherer, K. R (2010). The component process model: Architecture for a comprehensive computational model of emergent emotion. In K. R. Scherer, T. Bänziger, & E. B. Roesch (Eds.), Blueprint for affective computing: A sourcebook (pp. 47–70). Oxford University Press.

Weyland, S., Kaushal, N., Fritsch, J., Strauch, U., & Jekauc, D. (2024). Validation and invariance testing of the English Short Physical activity enjoyment scale. PloS one, 19(11), e0313626. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313626

Downloading different versions of PACES

Downloading puplications

German short version of PACES:
German long version of PACES