Psychometric Properties of the 3 × 2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire in a Hong Kong Sample

Abstract

The 3 × 2 achievement goal framework comprising task-approach, task-avoidance, self-approach, self-avoidance, other-approach, and other-avoidance goals is the most recent conceptual development in goal orientation research. The purpose of this study was to extend the current literature by investigating the validity of the 3 × 2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire in a non-Western educational setting. Based on a sample of 384 first-year undergraduate students from a university in Hong Kong, confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the six-factor model of achievement goals provided better fit to the data than 10 alternative model structures tested. The six goal subscales have high internal consistency reliability, and gender invariance of the instrument was established via multigroup analysis. Results from multiple regression analyses also revealed that the six achievement goals were differentially predictive of students’ academic performance, deep and surface learning strategies, and instrumental help-seeking.