Assessment of the Psychometric Properties of the Motivation for Homework Scale in Mexican Students: Evidence from a Bifactor Model

Introduction. The Motivation for Homework scale is a widely utilized instrument for assessing autonomous motivation within homework settings; however, there remains a paucity of research examining its dimensional structure and providing comprehensive validity evidence. Method. The present investigation sought to address these gaps through two validation studies with samples comprising 1004 Mexican elementary and secondary school students (n1 =502, n2 = 502). Results. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the presence of two distinct dimensions of autonomous motivation, while bifactor modeling further indicated the existence of a general factor alongside two specific factors. The scale exhibited strong reliability and demonstrated adequate evidence of external validity. It also presented measurement invariance across gender and educational levels (elementary vs. secondary). Discussion and Conclusion. These findings highlight the utility of simultaneously considering both general and specific components of autonomous motivation and confirm the scale’s reliability and validity as a tool for assessing autonomous motivation in homework contexts among young learners.