Conceptualising and measuring academic motivation

There is an almost bewildering array of different ways in which practitioners and researchers can conceptualise and measure academic motivation, and how academic motivation may overlap with and relate to adjacent constructs such as interest, engagement and enjoyment in learning. Conceptual clarity is required to clearly delineate between different constructs, develop precision in measurement tools and to advance theory. The purpose of this article is to describe one popular and contemporary approach to academic motivation – achievement goals – and how it can be measured.