Introduction: The stability of the achievement goal orientation across different contexts has been a source of further research since the new millennium. Through theoretically-driven and empirically-based analyses, this study investigated the psychometric properties of the Elliot and McGregor 2x2 framework for achievement goal questionnaire within…

In this study, the authors attempted to examine the roles of trait autonomy, trait self-efficacy, important goal-related task engagement and gender in predicting whether undergraduate university students are willing to set difficult goals. One hundred and thirty-six undergraduate communications students from the North-Eastern USA completed an…

SDL (self-directed learning) now is offered as an alternative form for learning and teaching approach. SDL initially has developed in the field of adult learning. The question that may rise is whether SDL is applicable for younger ages. This study intended to generate a reliable and valid translation of a recently released instrument to measure…

Universities confront many challenges in their efforts to manage staff activity with the aid of workload assessment and allocation systems. This article sets out fresh perspectives from an exploratory study designed to uncover patterns of subjective views about various aspects of workloads. Using Q methodology, academic staff in a single…

The goal orientation theory of motivation posits sets of beliefs people hold regarding their goals. The 2 x 2 model of goal orientations has received almost no attention in the domain of educational leadership. The present researchers used a confirmatory factor analysis to test a measure based on the hypothesized 2 x 2 model in educational…

The purpose of this study was to extend the research on achievement goal theory by examining the measurement and understanding of goal structures using teacher-reported data. A large number of elementary, middle, and high school teachers completed an online survey that included items assessing their use of instructional practices associated with…

This investigation assesses performance and mastery orientation from a Rasch perspective among high school and university students and provides a complementary approach to the factor analytic methods typical in goal theory research. Data shows that both school and university students are high in mastery orientation relative to performance…

The purpose of this study was to collect preliminary validity evidence for a time management scale for exercise. An initial pool of 91 items was developed from existing literature. Ten exercise/health psychologists evaluated each of the items in terms of relevance and representativeness. Forty-nine items met all criteria. Exploratory factor…

Four studies were conducted on the development and validation of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MoSIEC). Exploratory factor analysis of an initial item pool yielded a 22-item measure with 4 distinct factors assessing commitment, exploration, sexual orientation identity uncertainty, and synthesis/integration. Exploratory…

Background: Individual student characteristics such as competence motivation, achievement values, and goal orientations have been related in meaningful ways to task attainment. The standards-based National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) was developed in New Zealand with the intention of strengthening connections between student…

This study explores what motivates a student to enter medical school by first measuring students' strength of motivation and then by looking for relationships between motivation and career-related values and approaches to learning. Validated and reliable questionnaires were used to obtain data. This study found no differences in strength of…

The properties of the achievement goal inventories developed by Grant and Dweck (2003) and Elliot and McGregor (2001) were evaluated in two studies with a total of 780 participants. A four-factor specification for the Grant and Dweck inventory did not closely replicate results published in their original report. In contrast, the structure of the…

The psychometric properties and multigroup measurement invariance of scores on the Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale taken from Bandura's Children's Self-Efficacy Scale were assessed in a sample of 3,760 students from Grades 4 to 11. Latent means differences were also examined by gender and school level. Results reveal a…

The psychometric properties of the School Attitude Assessment Survey-Revised (SAAS-R) are examined in a sample of 321 high school students. Students completed the SAAS-R along with measures of school climate, academic self-efficacy, and school satisfaction; school-related behaviors (i.e., attendance and discipline referrals) and academic…

Although empirical research in academic areas provides support for both a 3-factor as well as a 4-factor achievement goal model, both models were proposed and tested with a collegiate sample. Little is known about the generalizability of either model with high school level samples. This study was designed to examine whether the 3-factor model…