Validation evidence for the elementary school version of the MUSIC® model of academic motivation inventory

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of our study was to assess whether the Elementary School version of the MUSIC® Model of Academic Motivation Inventory was valid for use with elementary students in classrooms with regular classroom teachers and student teachers enrolled in a university teacher preparation program. Method: The participants included 535 first- to fifth-grade students from the classes of 29 teachers from six schools. Students completed the Elementary School version of the MUSIC® Model of Academic Motivation Inventory, which assessed students' perceptions of empowerment, usefulness, success, interest, and caring related to their class activities. We calculated Cronbach's alpha values for each of the MUSIC Inventory scales, computed Pearson's correlation coefficients for the MUSIC Inventory scales, and conducted confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) to examine how the items in the MUSIC Inventory fit the five-factor structure of the MUSIC model. Results: The internal consistencies of the items within each scale were aceptable, as were the factor loadings from the CFAs. Results of the CFAs, conducted by grade level and teacher type, revealed that the data fit the five-factor structure of the inventory well for teachers and student teachers at the lower- and upper-elementary grades. Conclusion: The results provide evidence to support the validity of the scores produced from the Elementary School version of the MUSIC® Model of Academic Motivation Inventory with elementary school students in first to fifth grades in the US.