The measurement model of leisure constraint negotiation in leisure-time physical activity context: reflective or formative?

There are two types of measurement models: reflective and formative. Kyle and Jun critiqued that while past leisure constraints studies assumed the reflective model, the formative counterpart may better fit extant measures; this was empirically supported by Kono, Ito, and Loucks-Atkinson. The purpose of this short research note is to extend this key methodological discussion to the realm of constraint negotiation, another important construct in the leisure constraint theory. We present theoretical reasons why existing negotiation measures may be formatively modeled (e.g., non-interchangeable items). Then, we analyzed two data sets (n = 618 and 218, respectively) in the context of leisure-time physical activities using confirmatory tetrad analysis in partial least squares. Our results showed that parts of negotiation measures followed the formative model, while the majority fit the reflective model. We theorize that these mixed results are influenced by factors including negotiation types and population characteristics.