Toward a Tripartite Model of Research Motivation: Development and Initial Validation of the Research Motivation Scale

An instrument designed to measure a 3-factor model of research motivation was developed and psychometrically examined in the present research. Participants were 437 graduate students in biology, chemistry/biochemistry, physics/astronomy, and psychology. A principal components analysis supported the retention of 20 items representing the 3-factor structure. Intrinsic Reward explained 32.19% of the variance in the data, followed by Failure Avoidance (15.84%), and Extrinsic Reward (7.49%). A follow-up confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 3-factor model provided a better fit to the data than competing 1-, 2-, and 4-factor models. A nomological network of relations with academic achievement motivation, fear of failure, behavioral activation/inhibition sensitivity, and other constructs also revealed support for the measure’s convergent and discriminant validity. Implications for theory and research in the achievement motivation and career development domains are discussed.