Scale library · Psychology & mental health
MSLQ motivation scales: Pintrich et al. (1991)
The MSLQ was developed by Pintrich, Smith, Garcia and McKeachie (1991) at the University of Michigan to measure students' motivation and learning strategies in a specific course. The full version has 81 items in 15 subscales across a motivation section and a learning strategies section, and the subscales are designed to be used separately. This page gives the three motivation subscales most used in theses: intrinsic goal orientation, task value and self-efficacy for learning and performance, typically in studies of academic performance, online learning and student engagement.
Cite the original, not the blog.
- Model or scale: MSLQ
- Constructs: 3
- Items: 18
Original English items
Items marked (R) are reverse-coded: recode them before computing reliability or scale scores. Replace bracketed placeholders such as [system] with the name of the system, brand or organization you study.
Intrinsic Goal Orientation (IGO, 4 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| IGO1 | In a class like this, I prefer course material that really challenges me so I can learn new things. | No |
| IGO2 | In a class like this, I prefer course material that arouses my curiosity, even if it is difficult to learn. | No |
| IGO3 | The most satisfying thing for me in this course is trying to understand the content as thoroughly as possible. | No |
| IGO4 | When I have the opportunity in this class, I choose course assignments that I can learn from even if they don't guarantee a good grade. | No |
Task Value (TV, 6 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| TV1 | I think I will be able to use what I learn in this course in other courses. | No |
| TV2 | It is important for me to learn the course material in this class. | No |
| TV3 | I am very interested in the content area of this course. | No |
| TV4 | I think the course material in this class is useful for me to learn. | No |
| TV5 | I like the subject matter of this course. | No |
| TV6 | Understanding the subject matter of this course is very important to me. | No |
Self-Efficacy for Learning and Performance (SE, 8 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| SE1 | I believe I will receive an excellent grade in this class. | No |
| SE2 | I'm certain I can understand the most difficult material presented in the readings for this course. | No |
| SE3 | I'm confident I can learn the basic concepts taught in this course. | No |
| SE4 | I'm confident I can understand the most complex material presented by the instructor in this course. | No |
| SE5 | I'm confident I can do an excellent job on the assignments and tests in this course. | No |
| SE6 | I expect to do well in this class. | No |
| SE7 | I'm certain I can master the skills being taught in this class. | No |
| SE8 | Considering the difficulty of this course, the teacher, and my skills, I think I will do well in this class. | No |
Response scale
7-point truth scale, not an agreement scale: 1 = Not at all true of me … 7 = Very true of me. Each subscale score is the mean of its items; the three subscales here have no reverse-coded items.
Licence and permission
The full questionnaire is printed in the manual publicly available on ERIC (ED338122). The manual states copyright 1991 by The Regents of The University of Michigan and says the subscales are designed for researchers and instructors to use separately as needed; we found no fee requirement. Cite the manual.
Sources (APA 7)
- Pintrich, P. R., Smith, D. A. F., Garcia, T., & McKeachie, W. J. (1991). A manual for the use of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Technical Report No. 91-B-004). National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, The University of Michigan. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED338122.pdf
- Pintrich, P. R., Smith, D. A. F., Garcia, T., & McKeachie, W. J. (1993). Reliability and predictive validity of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53(3), 801–813. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164493053003024
Vietnamese translation
A Vietnamese translation of every item, with sample-size advice and studies that used the scale, is on the Vietnamese page for this scale.