Domain specificity of the student motivation and engagement scale : analyses across English, mathematics, and science high school subjects

This research reports on findings from a large-scale study amongst Australian high school students investigating the domain specificity of the Student Motivation and Engagement Scale (SMES - Martin, 2001, 2003). The SMES is a 44-item instrument assessing eleven dimensions of students' motivation and academic engagement. These eleven factors are separated into adaptive (eg. self-efficacy, mastery orientation, persistence), impeding (eg. anxiety, uncertain control, failure avoidance), and maladaptive (self-handicapping, disengagement) dimensions. Data were collected in students' English, mathematics, and science subjects. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the central structure tested was one in which the eleven factors were freed in each of the three school subjects, yielding a 33-factor model. Particular focus in this paper is on the fit of the final model, factor loadings, and factor correlations. Also of interest was the relative strength of the 33-factor structure against an 11-factor structure in which three school subjects loaded on each of the 11 factors in the SMES and a 3-factor model in which all items loaded on the three high school subjects. Implications for pedagogy are discussed.