Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Elementary School: Psychometric Analysis of a Modified Version (AEQ-ES-Gn)

The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Elementary School uses pictorial response anchors to assess enjoyment, boredom, and anxiety across academic settings. This study examined the psychometric properties of a modified mathematics version, the AEQ-ES-Gn, in which the original gender-specific faces were replaced by gender-neutral, smiley-based representations. Participants were 12,738 students (M age at Wave 1 = 9.57 years, SD = 0.83; 50.7% girls among students with available gender information) from 287 schools in Estonia, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Serbia and Sweden. Students were in grades 3-4 at Wave 1 and Grades 4-5 approximately one year later in Wave 2. Confirmatory factor analyses compared alternative measurement models, followed by tests of longitudinal and multigroup invariance, reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, temporal stability, and associations with mathematics competence. A hierarchical model distinguishing emotions and academic settings was retained, showing a good fit and providing the most appropriate overall solution for subsequent analyses. Scalar invariance was supported over time and across gender, grade, and country. Scores showed adequate-to-excellent reliability, generally satisfactory convergent validity, and evidence of discriminant validity, although enjoyment and boredom were strongly negatively related. Temporal stability was moderate, and associations with mathematics competence were small and theoretically consistent. These findings support the AEQ-ES-Gn as a reliable and valid measure of mathematics-related achievement emotions among students in Grades 3-5, while direct comparisons with the original response format remain necessary.