Structure of the role ambiguity framework and validity in the French culture

ObjectivesThe present article provides a summary of four studies undertaken to examine the structure of the role ambiguity framework advanced by Beauchamp, Bray, Eys, and Carron (2002) and its validity in another culture (i.e., French culture). Two forms of the Role Ambiguity Scale (Beauchamp et al., 2002) were developed into French: a version distinguishing the offensive and defensive contexts; a version without specification of any context. Three competing models of the organization of the role ambiguity dimensions were examined.MethodOverall, 1145 male and female athletes completing in different team sports participated in the study.DesignCross-sectional with self-reported questionnaires.ResultsIn the French culture, the results supported a hierarchical organization of role ambiguity with three first-order dimensions loading on a second-order factor. The fourth study examining the predictive validity of the questionnaires revealed that a four-dimension model slightly accounted for more variance in task cohesion than a three-dimension model and enabled a more accurate description of the role ambiguity-task cohesion relationship.ConclusionsTheoretical and cultural implications were advanced.