The Academic Motivation Scale: A Measure of Intrinsic,Extrinsic,and Amotivation in Education

Abstract

A new measure of motivation toward education has been developed in French, namely the Echelle de Motivation en Education (EME). The EME is based on the tenets of self-determination theory and is composed of 28 items subdivided into seven sub-scales assessing three types of intrinsic motivation (intrinsic motivation to know, to accomplish things, and to experience stimulation), three types of extrinsic motivation (external, introjected, and identified regulation), and a motivation. The purpose of this investigation was to cross-culturally validate in English the EME. The EME was translated in English through appropriate methodological procedures and completed by university students. Results revealed that the English version of the scale renamed the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), has satisfactory levels of internal consistency (mean alpha value = .81) and temporal stability over a one-month period (mean test-retest correlation = .79). In addition, results of a confirmatory factor analysis (LISREL) confirmed the seven-factor structure of the AMS. Finally, gender differences obtained with the EME were basically replicated with the AMS. In sum, the present findings provide adequate support for the factorial validity and reliability of the AMS and support its use in educational research on motivation.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Brislin, R. W. (1986). The wording and translation of research instruments. In W. Lonner and J. Berry (Eds.), Field methods in cross-cultural research (pp. 137-164). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Daoust, H. , Vallerand, R. J. , and Blais, M. R. (1988). Motivation and education: A look at some important consequences. Canadian Psychology, 29 (2a), 172. (abstract).

Deci, E. L. (1975). Intrinsic motivation. New York: Plenum Press.

Deci, E. L. and Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum Press.

Deci, E. L. and Ryan, R. M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration in personality. In R. Dienstbier (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on motivation: Vol. 38. Perspectives on motivation (pp. 237-288) Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

Deci, E. L. , Vallerand, R. J. , Pelletier, L. G. , and Ryan, R. M. (1991). Motivation in education: The self-determination perspective. The Educational Psychologist, 26, 325-346.

Gottfried, A. E. (1985). Academic intrinsic motivation in elementary and junior high school students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 631-645.

Harter, S. (1981). A new self-report scale on intrinsic versus extrinsic orientation in the classroom: Motivational and informational components. Developmental Psychology, 17, 300-312.

10.

Joreskog, K. G. and Sorbom, D. (1984). LISREL VW. Chicago, IL: National Educational Resources.

11.

Ryan, R. M. and Connell, J. P. (1989). Perceived locus of causality and internalization: Examining reasons for acting in two domains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 450-461.

12.

Vallerand, R. J. (1989). Vers une methodologie de validation trans-culturelle de questionnaires psychologiques: Implications pour la recherche en langue francaise (Toward a cross-cultural validation methodology for psychological scales: Implications for research conducted in the French language). Canadian Psychology, 30, 662-680.

13.

Vallerand, R. J. and Bissonnette, R. (in press). Intrinsic, extrinsic, and a motivational styles as predictors of behavior: A prospective study. Journal of Personality.

14.

Vallerand, R. J. , Blais, M. R. , Briere, N. M. , and Pelletier, L. G. (1989). Construction et validation de l'Echelle de Motivation en Education (EME) [Construction and validation of the Echelle de Motivation en Education (EME)]. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 21, 323-349.

15.

Vallerand, R. J. , Pelletier, L. G. , Blais, M. R. , Briere, N. M. , Senecal, C. , and Vallieres, E. F. (in press). On the assessment of intrinsic, extrinsic, and a motivation in education: Evidence on the concurrent and construct validity of the Academic Motivation Scale. EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT.