Purpose: Measure motivation for learning in general and across specific learning areas in grades 4-8
Age Range: 9 to 14 years
Admin: Individual or group
Time: 20-30 minutes

For students in grades 4-8 with academic difficulties, the CAIMI is an excellent resource for differentiating motivation from achievement and ability factors. It is a valuable part of a psychodiagnostic battery for evaluating academic failure or delay. Distinguishing between motivation, achievement, and ability is of utmost importance to allow for a more complete and accurate assessment of school difficulties and for developing specific interventions. Clinical case examples employing the CAIMI are presented in the Interpretation section of the Manual.

The CAIMI is also useful for the general population of students in addition to those with school difficulties. You also can use the information derived from the CAIMI for counseling students with regard to academic interests and course selection, in instructional planning to stimulate motivation in weak areas and continue to facilitate intrinsic motivation in strong areas, in providing individualized program planning, and in program and educational evaluation by schools and school districts.

The 44 CAIMI questions comprise 122 items in five scales: Reading, Math, Social Studies, Science, and General. Results can be reported as T scores or percentiles, and the Profile Form allows a visual comparison of motivational strengths across scales. For students with academic difficulties, the CAIMI is an excellent resource for differentiating motivation from achievement and ability factors.