title: An international validation study of two achievement goal measures in a pharmacy education context.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Achievement goal theory helps us understand what motivates students to participate in educational activities. However, measuring achievement goals in a precise manner is problematic. Elliot and McGregor's Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ) and Elliot and Murayama's revised Achievement Goal Questionnaire (AGQ-R) are widely used to assess students' achievement goals. Both instruments were developed and validated using undergraduate psychology students in the USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, our aims were to first of all, assess the construct validity of both questionnaires using a cohort of Australian pharmacy students and, subsequently, to test the generalizability and replicability of these tools more widely in schools of pharmacy in other English-speaking countries. The AGQ and the AGQ-R were administered during tutorial class time. Confirmatory factor analysis procedures, using AMOS 19 software, were performed to determine model fit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In contrast to the scale developers' findings, confirmatory factor analysis supported a superior model fit for the AGQ compared with the AGQ-R, in all countries under study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Validating measures of achievement goal motivation for use in pharmacy education is necessary and has implications for future research. Based on these results, the AGQ will be used to conduct future cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of the achievement goals of undergraduate pharmacy students from these countries.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Saleh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alrakaf
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Manchester University, Fort Wayne, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdelmageed
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Manchester University, Fort Wayne, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiersma
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Sion A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Coulman
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Dai N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: John
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ.
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tordoff
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Hampton University, Hampton, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Ayman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Noreddin
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sainsbury
authors.affiliation: Aftercare, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Grenville
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Smith
keywords: achievement goal theory; confirmatory factor analysis; pharmacy education