Identifying Unmotivated Participants: The Role of Intra-Individual Response Variability

• In Event: New Developments in Item Response Theory Modeling and Applications

Abstract

This study examined the presence of aberrant responses of high and low achievers that is likely indicative of a lack of motivation. The analysis involved examining an individual’s response patterns with specific trends pointing to a lack of motivation. Identification of amotivation was guided by examining the IRV index. Using a sample of individuals who were tested on their knowledge of information systems a person-based analysis classified them as low and high achievers. Further analyses indicated that the low-achieving group represented an intra-individual variability pattern that describes a lack of motivation with significantly more Guttman errors. Concurrent validity of the proposed model describing amotivation as an aberrant form of behavior was supported using a ROC analysis with several person-fit indicators.

Author

• Maisaa Taleb Alahmadi, Education and Training Evaluation Commission