Beyond Retrospection: Development and Initial Validation of the Task-Episode Appraisal Scale (TEAS)

Motivational experience shifts within academic task episodes, yet widely used measures assess stable beliefs, strategy use, or retrospective summaries. We developed and evaluated the Task-Episode Appraisal Scale (TEAS), a six-item semantic differential for low-burden, repeated deployment in routine coursework, capturing appraisals at task entry and pre-submission. University students ( N = 477) from four courses completed TEAS at task entry and pre-submission for one focal assignment via an embedded learning management system prompt, with administrations separated by at least 24 hours. We report initial validity evidence from test content, response processes (focus groups), and internal structure. Indicators shared substantial variance at both administrations; omega hierarchical was .827 at task entry and .879 at pre-submission. Single items function as interpretable indicators rather than subscales. Observed entry-to-pre-submission differences were small while individual differences in change were substantial. TEAS provides workflow-moment snapshots of task-episode appraisals in authentic coursework; replication across tasks and institutions is needed.