Validity and Utility of Mclean’s Attitudes to Achievement Questionnaire

McLean (2003a) described a model of motivation for practical use in Scottish (Elliot, 1999). The aim of the current study was to assess the construct validity and utility of McLean’s attitudes to achievement questionnaire and examine overlaps year undergraduates completed both questionnaires. A four-factor solution did emerge in item level factor analysis, although many items did not load as predicted by McLean. Parallels were found between the approach scales from the two questionnaires but the focus of the avoidance scales was different. Only avoidance scales were linked to academic performance, suggesting that avoidance merits further consideration.