Predictive Validity of the Teacher Rating of Academic Achievement Motivation (TRAAM) with Hispanic Students

Abstract

Academic motivation is an important construct that has been shown to be related to children's achievement outcomes. It may be an especially important factor to consider when one is examining the achievement patterns of Hispanic children. These children have not fared as well in the educational milieu as majority group children, and academic motivation may account for some of that difficulty. The Teacher Rating of Academic Achievement Motivation (TRAAM) has been shown to be an instrument that is valid with majority students, but its characteristics with minority children need to be examined. This study investigated the TRAAM's ability to predict group achievement test scores (Stanford Achievement Test [SAT]) and teacher-assigned grades, in relation to the Achievement Motivation Scale (AMS) and the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), for 67 third-through fifth-grade middle-class Hispanic (Mexican-American) students. Correlations for the TRAAM Total Score with SAT scores and grades ranged from .25 to .72, p < .001). A series of stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated that the TRAAM was the best predictor of grades. (TRAAM accounted for 23 to 54% of the variance with AMS, SAT, and OLSAT in the equation.) The TRAAM predicted SAT scores over the AMS (13 to 32% of the variance accounted for); even with OLSAT in the equation, the TRAAM accounted for a significant portion of variance in all SAT scores (5 to 19%) except Math. Results strongly support the use of the TRAAM with Hispanic students.