Intrinsic Motivation Inventory
Expert NotesStrengths:Validated across a wide range of educational and experimental contexts.
Cautions:Scores reflect students’ motivation for the particular activity being assessed, not their overall or enduring level of intrinsic motivation.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) is a multidimensional survey. It measures how much interest and enjoyment a student feels during a specific activity. This tool is based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT). It assesses three basic needs: competence, autonomy, and relatedness. When schools…Growth Mindset Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Simple and quick to use: short and easy for students to understand and complete. Well-established concept: strong research base linking mindset to motivation and learning behaviors. Clear, strong psychometric structure and acceptable internal consistency. Sensitive to differences: relatively high item discrimination supports detecting variation in students.
Cautions:May oversimplify beliefs; students' views about learning can be more nuanced than a single fixed vs. growth scale captures. Sensitive to context: responses can shift depending on the course, subject, or recent experiences. Item dominance risk: one item shows extremely high discrimination, potentially over-weighting responses. Limited stability over time: lack of measurement invariance suggests responses shift, limiting pre-post comparisons. Cultural sensitivity: some items may function differently across racial/ethnic groups, affecting comparability.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe Growth Mindset Scale is a three-item questionnaire designed to measure how much individuals believe they can increase their intelligence through personal effort. Published by Carol Dweck in 2000, this self-report tool uses a 6-point Likert scale to distinguish between a "growth mindset" and a …General Self-Efficacy Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong reliability and widely validated across countries and languages.
Cautions:Measures general, not task-specific, self-efficacy.
Topics: Student Well-BeingTags: Motivation, Stress and copingThe General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) is a 10-item self-report survey used to measure a student’s belief in their ability to handle difficult tasks and cope with daily stressors. Originally developed by researchers Matthias Jerusalem and Ralf Schwarzer in 1981, the scale was later shortened from 20…College Self-Efficacy Inventory
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong reliability (α = .93); responses are highly consistent across items. There is evidence that results of the CSEI are linked to college performance and persistence.
Cautions:Measures confidence in completing college tasks, not actual academic ability or achievement.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe College Self-Efficacy Inventory is a 20-item survey instrument. It measures a student's confidence in their own abilities to succeed in college. The instrument is focuses on multiple areas that affect student adjustment and learning. These areas include self-concept or self view, self-esteem or…College Learning Effectiveness Inventory
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong evidence for predicting college GPA and life satisfaction in U.S. first-year students. can also be used to assess change following an intervention.
Cautions:Some subscales have lower reliability, e.g. Class Communication (α = .68) and Emotional Satisfaction (α = .72).
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Stress and copingThe College Learning Effectiveness Inventory (CLEI) is a survey instrument created in 2008 designed to assess issues that impact college students' performance. This includes academic success and persistence. It is composed of six scales: Academic Self-Efficacy, Organization and Attention to Study,…College Chemistry Self-Efficacy Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong internal consistency reported in validation studies, meaning responses are highly consistent across items.
Validated with Turkish university students studying chemistry and later with U.S. undergraduates.Cautions:Measures students' confidence in doing chemistry, not students' knowledge, skills, or achievement in chemistry.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe College Chemistry Self-Efficacy Scale (CCSS) is a survey instrument developed to assess the confidence of college students in their ability to perform essential tasks in chemistry. The scale is structured around three key dimensions of chemistry-related self-efficacy: self-efficacy for…Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Strong reliability (typically α > .90), meaning responses are highly consistent across items. Validated primarily with U.S. college students; useful for measuring students’ confidence in completing career decision-making tasks.
Cautions:Measures confidence in decision-making, not actual career choices or outcomes.
Topics: Student LearningTags: Motivation, Student engagementThe Career Decision-Making Self-efficacy Scale (CDMSE) is a survey instrument. The purpose is to measure a student's confidence in making career decisions. The scale is based on Albert Bandura's concept of self-efficacy (one's belief in their ability to accomplish specific actions). The version…Academic Self-Regulated Learning Scale
Expert NotesStrengths:Validated with Filipino university students; useful for identifying differences in students’ learning strategies.
Cautions:Not designed for screening or program evaluation.
Topics: Student LearningTags: College readinessThe Academic Self-Regulated Learning Scale measures students’ use of self-regulated learning strategies, including planning, monitoring, and evaluating their own learning. Developed by Magno (2009), the 7-subscale questionnaire was designed to assess college students’ capacity to manage and…