The STUDENTSCALE: Measuring Students’ Motivation, Interest, Learning Resources and Styles

Abstract

It becomes important to consider the role of Information Technologies (IT) in society and at school, including its impact on the teaching-learning process transformation. The use of IT should be done in an integrated and inclusive way, it is critical to teach how to use, consume and interact with technology. This study intends to contribute to a more depth understanding of the IT impact in the teaching-learning process. Our main goal is to create a scale to measure the Subjects’ Interest and Motivation, Motivation and Involvement with Learning Resources and Learning Styles. Those are important factors that impact on students’ Learning Performance. Insights from an empirical study of 357middle education students indicate that this multi-dimensional scale incorporates the following constructs: a) Interest and Motivation, b) Motivation and Involvement with IT’s Learning Resources, c) Motivation and Involvement with Teachers’ Learning Resources, and d) Non Literary Learning Styles. Discussion centers on this scale implications for theory development and management decisions. Teachers’ and schools’ managers may better understand the learning resources and styles preferred by students, and thus to create more motivational learning programs. Directions for future research are also presented.