The construct validity of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire and the associations of demographic and contextual factors with achievement emotions in South African Grade 9 and 10 learners

This study examined the construct validity of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire and the associations of demographic and contextual factors with achievement emotions in English and mathematics among Grade 9 and 10 learners. A cross-sectional survey design was used with a sample of 547 learners (nGrade 9 = 258; nGrade10 = 226, and nmissing = 63) in public secondary schools in the Sedibeng District of the Gauteng Province in South Africa. The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire – Language and Achievement Emotions Questionnaire – Mathematics were administered together with a biographical questionnaire containing various socio-demographic questions. Latent variable modelling was used to test the measurement model and the measurement invariance of the questionnaire for Grade 9 and Grade 10 learners. Standard multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between demographic and contextual variables and achievement emotions among these subjects. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a six-factor model of achievement emotions consisting of enjoyment, pride, anger, anxiety, shame, and boredom for mathematics and English. a good fit to the data. Multiple regression analyses showed that language, the ability to focus on schoolwork at home, liking or disliking the mathematics and English teachers, and finding mathematics and English interesting were statistically significantly associated with these positive or negative achievement emotions.