Longitudinal Cross-Gender Factorial Invariance of the Academic Motivation Scale

This study examined the measurement and latent construct invariance of the Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand, Blais, Brière, & Pelletier, 1989; Vallerand et al., 1992, 1993) across both gender and time. An integrative analytical strategy was used to assess in one set of nested models both longitudinal and cross-gender invariance, and "interactional" and "simple" tests of invariance (e.g., cross-gender invariance across waves) were conducted. Results from a sample of 643 students (322 boys and 321 girls) across a 3-year time span showed good longitudinal cross-gender factorial invariance with different degrees of invariance depending on the sample, the educational level, or both. Implications for the validity of the Academic Motivation Scale, as well as for research on factorial invariance, are discussed.