A Review of Self-Report and Alternative Approaches in the Measurement of Student Motivation

Abstract

Within psychological and educational research, self-report methodology dominates the study of student motivation. The present review argues that the scope of motivation research can be expanded by incorporating a wider range of methodologies and measurement tools. Several authors have suggested that current study of motivation is overly reliant on self-report measures, warranting a move toward alternative approaches. This review critiques self-report methodology as a basis for examining alternative conceptualizations of motivation (e.g., phenomenological, neuropsychological/physiological, and behavioral) and related measurement tools. Future directions in motivational methodology are addressed, including attempts at integration or combination of these approaches and a preliminary functional framework for the development of novel, multidimensional approaches to the study of motivation.Keywords Motivation . Measurement . Children . Review . Adolescents Motivation consists of the biological, physiological, social, and cognitive forces that direct behavior. Motivation has a long history within educational research (see reviews by Ball 1982;Weiner 1992;Young 1950). However, recent research has been driven by a predominant focus on the cognitive, intrapsychological aspects, discounting the importance of additional personal and contextual factors in the relationship between motivation and academic achievement. Past theories of motivation have focused on biological instincts, drives, and arousal. Current theories of achievement motivation, such as self-determination, cognitive evaluation, achievement goal, and expectancy-value theories, predominantly examine cognitive and, to a lesser extent, social processes that influence motivation for a particular activity.

Operating Classroom Aesthetic Reading Environment to Raise Children's Reading Motivation

“…In the most natural situation, random, individual, and group interviews with the children were conducted in accordance with semi-structured interviews adopted by Fulmer, & Frijters, (2009) [52] and Guthrie et al (2007) [15]. From interviewing with young children, researcher collected the information to do further analysis in understanding how children fall in love with reading and how they are satisfied with the classroom aesthetic reading environment arranged by teachers to modify details and thinking of this research.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Short ASSISTScales

“…A consistency motif may have played a part in the students' response-giving, and we do not have access to other measures or observations that can verify the student's self-reports. Future studies may employ an integrated approach, combining self-report measures with other measurement techniques, as recently advised (Fulmer & Frijters, 2009).…”

Beliefs about School Learning during Adolescence: Their Contribution to Motivational Beliefs and School Achievement

“…Although Likert scales have been predominant in motivation research, they have been criticized for their risks to result in imprecise findings mainly due to the problematic assumption that they provide interval-level measurement. Multi-method approaches using self-reports and behavioural measures should be encouraged in future motivational studies (for a detailed discussion, see Fulmer & Frijters, 2009). Fourth, despite the availability of a very large pool of data and the good reliability values of the three scales measuring the beliefs about school learning, the instrument used in the present study should be replicated in future studies with samples coming from different social and educational contexts where school learning is valued differently.…”