Testing the measurement invariance of the work motivation scale for training and adult education in a nationwide study of Singapore

Abstract

Work motivation has profound benefits ranging from increased development to performance for employees and companies. The present nationwide survey adopted the Multidimensional Work Motivation Questionnaire (Gagne et al., 2015) and developed a Work Motivation Scale to accurately measure the construct amongst three groups of respondents working in the Training and Adult Education Sector in Singapore. Using the Rasch-Andrich rating scale model and structural equation modeling (SEM), we investigated the psychometric features of the dimensions of the instrument and its measurement invariance, respectively. We found evidence supporting the fit of the dimensions to the Rasch model and also a good level of partial structural invariance for the majority of the parameters in the SEM model. The present study extends existing self-determination theory literature by measuring work motivation in the multicultural context of Singapore and emphasises the importance of invariance measurement. The findings lend support for the continued use of the Work Motivation Scale to measure the antecedents and outcomes of work motivation.