Psychometric properties of the Mexican version of the Academic Goals Questionnaire

Abstract

Academic goals are one of the most important variables from a motivational point of view to explain the different reasons and motives of students to get involved in learning tasks and activities. At the same time, academic goals are related to different patterns of thoughts, emotions and actions of students, as well as their academic achievement. Hence, it is important to develop empirical work in this area in order to construct evaluation tools that allow a better understanding of the processes involved in student learning, particularly in higher education. The psychometric properties of the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Academic Goals were examined in a sample of Mexican university students. This self-report instrument evaluates the personal orientation of the student towards academic goals. To achieve this goal, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted, with a sample of 735 Mexican higher education students in the engineering area. Findings corroborate the original questionnaire factor structure and demonstrates reliability for using the scale in the research within the Mexican context.