A New Self-Report Scale of Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Orientation in the C... http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:PvYVsc54z8MJ:scholar.google.c...

This is the html version of the file http://www.psycnet.org/journals/dev/17/3/300.pdf.

Google automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web.

These search terms have been highlighted: harter scale

Page 1

Developmental Psychology Copyright 1981 by the American Psychological Association, Inc.

1981, Vol. 17, No. 3, 300-312 0012-1649/81 /1703-0300S00.75

A New Self-Report Scale of Intrinsic Versus

Extrinsic Orientation in the Classroom:
Motivational and Informational Components
Susan Harter
University of Denver

This article reports on a new self-report scale that taps a child's intrinsic versus
extrinsic orientation toward learning and mastery in the classroom. Five separate
dimensions are defined by an intrinsic and an extrinsic pole: preference for chal-
lenge versus preference for easy work, curiosity/interest versus teacher approval,
independent mastery attempts versus dependence on the teacher, independent
judgment versus reliance on the teacher's judgment, and internal versus external
criteria for success/failure. The reliability and factorial validity of the scale have
been adequately demonstrated. Additional validity studies are reported. Higher
order factoring reveals two distinct clusters of subscales: The first three dimen-
sions form one factor and are interpreted as more motivational in nature; the
remaining two are viewed as more cognitive-informational in nature. Develop-
mental data reveal that across Grades 3-9 there is a shift from intrinsic to
extrinsic on the first motivational cluster. Conversely, there is a dramatic de-
velopmental shift from extrinsic to intrinsic on the cognitive-informational clus-
ter. Interpretations for these developmental differences are advanced, and the
educational implications are explored. The discussion focuses on the need to be
precise in our conceptualization and operationalization of the term intrinsic
motivation.

Recent trends within the domain of mo-
tivation have led to an increasing emphasis
An earlier version of this article was presented at the
meeting of the Society for Research in Child Develop-
ment, San Francisco, March 1979. This research was
supported by Grant HD-09613 from the National In-
stitute of Child Health and Human Development, De-
partment of Health, Education and Welfare, U.S. Pub-
lic Health Service.
The author would like to acknowledge the extensive
cooperation of both the school personnel and pupils from
the following school systems, without whose assistance
this scale could not have been constructed: the Cherry
Creek Public School System, the Denver Public School
System, and the Jefferson County Public School System,
all in Colorado; the Ventura School District, Ventura,
on the construct of intrinsic motivation (see
Deci, 1975, for a review of many of the the-
oretical models that address this construct).
One approach can be seen in the efforts of
experimental social psychologists, notably
Lepper (1980), Deci (1975), and their col-
leagues, who are empirically examining at-
tributional models that specify the con-
ditions under which extrinsic rewards
undermine intrinsic motivation. One also
finds the concept of intrinsic motivation in
those broad theoretical formulations that
have focused on mastery and competence.
Our own approach has taken White's (1959)
model of effectance motivation as a point of
departure. In his challenge to traditional

1 of 2 6/26/2010 10:48 AM
A New Self-Report Scale of Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Orientation in the C... http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:PvYVsc54z8MJ:scholar.google.c...

Page 13
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

2 of 2 6/26/2010 10:48 AM