Development of the Post-Secondary General Academic Motivation Scale (PSGAMS): Initial Evidence of Validity

No accessible French scale measures general motivation in post-secondary education while distinguishing various determinants of motivation to target students’ perception of their learning experience. Given the many measures to support student retention implemented in post-secondary educational establishments, such an assessment instrument seems essential to help track students’ academic motivation. Study 1 reports on the initial development process for such a scale, including a French and an English version, as well as a formulation of items for CEGEP, the first level of post-secondary education in Quebec, and another for university. To explore its structure, it was administered to 1 686 Quebec CEGEP students and studied using the DeVellis and Thorpe model (2021). Study 2 assess its validity with structural equation modeling from 1 662 other CEGEP students. Results show good psychometric qualities, which we discuss in terms of the scale’s prospects.