Examining the Psychometric Characteristics of Tools for Measuring Intrinsic Motivation Inventory and Perceived Motivational Climate Scale among Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: Review of the literature indicates that few researchers have examined the issue of motivation in medical education context. Hence construction of appropriate measurement tools can be a step toward encouraging researchers to address this particular issue. This study examined psychometric characteristics of tools for measuring Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) and Perceived Motivational Climate Scale (EPCM) in medical students. Methods: A sample of 222 Iranian medical students completed Iranian versions of the EPCM, and IMI in a descriptive study. For assessing reliability of instruments, test-retest method and calculating Cronbach's alpha were used. Confirmatory factor analyses were carried out to confirm the factorial validity of tools. Results: After modification of the questions in both instruments, acceptable reliability coefficient was found. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that these tools have appropriate goodness of fitting indices. Conclusion: The modified IMI (i11 questions), and EPCM (16 questions) have appropriate reliability and validity for use in medical education.

Keywords

• intrinsic motivation
• perceived motivational climate
• intrinsic motivation inventory
• perceived motivational climate scale