Student Opinion Survey: Development of Measures of Student Motivation

Abstract

This research describes the development of measures of student motivation. Using the expectancy-value model of motivation as a theoretical rationale, instruments were developed to measure self-efficacy and attitudes toward the importance of learning in general, science, mathematics, and reading/English of elementary, middle, and secondary students. The instruments were validated with existing measures and teacher ratings of students. Results of the multitrait-multimethod analyses indicated acceptable construct-related evidence for validity. Stability estimates of reliability ranged from .56 to .88 for the elementary school form, .67 to .89 for the middle school form, and .69 to .88 for the high school form. Conclusions and reconmiendations for further development are indicated.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ahlgren, A. (1983). Minnesota school attitude survey. Chicago: Science Research Associates.

Ames, C. A. (1990). Motivation: What teachers need to know. Teachers College Record, 91, 409-421.

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Bandura, A. , & Schunk, D. H. (1981). Cultivating competence, self-efficacy, and intrinsic interest through proximal self-motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 586-598.

Eccles, J. (1983). Expectancies, values, and academic behaviors. In J. T. Spence (Ed.), Achievement and achievement motives: Psychological and sociological approache (pp. 75-146). San Francisco: Freeman.

Jagacinski, C. M. , & Nicholls, J. G. (1990). Reducting effort to protect ability: "They'd do it but I wouldn't." Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 15-21.

Maehr, M. L. (1991). Van Buren/University of Michigan Coalition Project Student Survey. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.

McMillan, J. H. , & Forsyth, D. R. (1991). What theories of motivation say about why learners learn. In R. J. Menges & M. D. Svinicki (Eds.), College teaching: From theory to practice (pp. 39-52). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Pintrich, P. R. , & De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 33-40.

10.

Pokay, P. , & Blumenfeld, P. C. (1990). Predicting achievement early and late in the semester: The role of motivation and the use of learning strategies. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 41-50.

11.

Schofield, H. L. (1982). Sex, grade level, and the relationship between mathematics attitude and achievement in children. Joumal of Educational Research, 75, 280-284.

12.

Schunk, D. H. (1981). Modeling and attributional effects on children's achievement: A self-efficacy analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 93-105.

13.

Schunk, D. H. (1982). Effects of effort attributional feedback on children's perceived self-efficacy and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 548-556.

14.

Schunk, D. H. (1983). Progress self-monitoring: Effects on children's self-efficacy and achievement. Journal of Experimental Education, 51, 89-93.

15.

Schunk, D. H. (1985). Self-efficacy and classroom learning. Psychology in the Schools, 22, 208-223.

16.

Schunk, D. H. (1990). Introduction to the special section on motivation and efficacy. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 3-6.