Toward establishing a unified metric for performance and learning goal orientations

Findings in the goal orientation literature are convoluted due to sample and scale dependent interpretations and potentially the use of inappropriate measurement models for ordinal data. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the possibility of developing a common metric in order to enhance communication among goal orientation researchers using different scales. A simultaneous calibration of four commonly used goal orientation scales was undertaken to investigate if item responses meet the unidimensionality requirement of Rasch models and hence provided a common metric. Participants were 305 third year psychology students at a large University in France. Results indicated that 30 of 36 learning goal and 28 of 33 performance goals items from the four scales defined unidimensional constructs. Correlations between person measures from the four scales and the simultaneous calibration for both learning goal and performance goals support the interpretation of unidimensional variables. Raw score to interval measure conversion tables provide goal orientation researchers using different scales a common metric for interpretation and statistical analyses. Limitations and extensions of this research are discussed.