ResearchTopic: Students who have test anxiety also have less school motivation?
Compare a group of students with test anxiety and a group of students without, measure each group’s motivation, and find a motivation test. In the proposed study, the researchers aim to recruit 200 undergraduate students who do or do not experience test anxiety prior to an exam. The research design for this study is a randomized controlled trial. A randomized controlled trial is a type of experimental design that involves randomly assigning participants to a treatment group or a control group and then comparing the outcomes between the two groups.
Firstly, the construct or variable being measured is school motivation. School motivation is an important construct because it is linked to academic success and achievement. Students who are motivated are more likely to engage in learning activities, put forth effort, and persist in the face of challenges. On the other hand, students who lack motivation may struggle academically, experience lower achievement, and have higher rates of dropout. Secondly, the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) is a widely used measure of school motivation.
The scale consists of 28 items that assess motivation across three different domains: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to engaging in an activity for its own sake, while extrinsic motivation refers to engaging in an activity for external rewards or to avoid punishment. Amotivation refers to a lack of motivation or a feeling of helplessness. Each item on the AMS is rated on a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (does not correspond at all) to 7 (corresponds exactly). The AMS is a self-report measure, meaning that students complete the scale themselves.
Thirdly, the validity and reliability of a measure are important considerations when using it in research. Validity refers to the degree to which a measure actually measures what it claims to measure. Reliability refers to the consistency of the measure over time and across different samples. The AMS has been found to have strong internal consistency, meaning that the items on the scale are highly correlated with each other. Internal consistency is typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha, which ranges from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating greater internal consistency.
The AMS has been found to have Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.73 to 0.92, indicating strong internal consistency. The AMS also has good test-retest reliability, meaning that scores on the scale are consistent over time. Test-retest reliability is typically measured by administering the scale to the same group of people on two different occasions and examining the correlation between the scores. The AMS has been found to have test-retest reliability ranging from 0.69 to 0.88, indicating good test-retest reliability. In terms of validity, studies have provided evidence of the AMS’s ability to discriminate between different levels of motivation and to predict academic achievement.
Discriminant validity refers to the degree to which a measure can distinguish between different constructs or variables. Predictive validity refers to the degree to which a measure can predict future outcomes based on scores on the measure. In terms of using the AMS in the proposed research, the researcher could administer the scale to both groups of students (those with test anxiety and those without) and compare their scores on the different motivation domains. This would provide insight into whether there is a relationship between test anxiety and school motivation. The researcher could also examine the predictive validity of the AMS by examining whether scores on the scale predict academic achievement.
Finally, the preferred type of validity for this research would be criterion-related/predictive validity, as this would allow for the examination of whether the AMS can predict future outcomes (e.g., academic achievement) based on motivation scores. A specific correlation score would be useful in determining the strength of this relationship.