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Abstract
A series of studies report the development of empirically derived instruments that measure student interest and engagement. The first study inductively develops an initial item pool through open-ended questionnaire data. A second study subjects the measures to exploratory factor analysis to ascertain an underlying factor structure. The third study deductively tests the measures through confirmatory factor analysis and examines associations among teacher communication behaviors, student emotional and cognitive interest, and engagement. A fourth study offers discriminant validity evidence, suggesting that the new measures are distinct from scales that assess similar yet divergent constructs. Guided by prior theory (CitationMottet, Frymier, & Beebe, 2006) and research (CitationHarp & Mayer, 1997), the instruments developed here possess heuristic potential for instructional communication research. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.
Acknowledgments
This article reports a portion of the author's dissertation, which was directed by Elizabeth E. Graham and Scott Titsworth. The author graciously thanks Professors Graham and Titsworth for their assistance.