| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Description | The Measure of Original Thinking in Elementary School (MOTES; Acar et al., 2024) is a computerized assessment tool designed to evaluate original thinking in elementary school students. It consists of three interactive, game-like activities that address the challenge of measuring and fostering creativity in education. The initial version was based on a literature review and included four task types, each with 10 draft prompts requiring a single response. Following pilot testing, expert validation with teachers, school counselors, and creativity experts, and cognitive labs with students, the final version was refined to three subscales—uses, examples, and sentences—each containing eight items (totaling 24 items). The tool was administered to elementary students in the U.S., and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a strong fit for a higher-order originality factor. Some significant differential item functioning (DIF) was observed (p = .01). The study reported comprehensive reliability and validity findings. |
| Author | Selcuk Acar, Denis Dumas, Peter Organisciak, Kelly Berthiaume |
| Author Identifier | Selcuk Acar: ORCID Denis Dumas: ORCID Peter Organisciak: ORCID |
| Affiliation | University of North Texas, University of Georgia, University of Denver |
| Purpose | To assess original thinking in elementary school students. |
| Construct | Original Thinking |
| Instrument Type | Task |
| Test Type | Original |
| Test Year | 2024 |
| Administration Method | Electronic |
| Format | Raters (human or AI) score responses on a scale from 1 (not original) to 5 (very original). |
| Number of Items | 24 |
| Factors and Subscales | Factors: Originality Subscales: Uses, Examples, Sentences |
| Reliability | Internal consistency reliability was strong: Hancock’s H = 0.82 (Uses), 0.85 (Examples), 0.88 (Sentences), and 0.89 for the higher-order originality factor (ω = .87). Automated scores showed high agreement with human ratings (rs = .79, .91, and .85 for the subscales). |
| Validity | External Validity: MOTES predicted originality and abstractness of titles scores from the TTCT–Figural Form A (Torrance, 1998b). It showed strong correlations with Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Mathematics (ß = .59) and MAP Reading scores (ß = .63). Reading speed and self-rated originality had weaker but significant correlations. |
| Factor Analysis | Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that both a three-factor correlated model and a higher-order model fit the data well. The higher-order model was chosen for theoretical and practical reasons. |
| Test Methodology | Test Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Interrater Reliability, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis |
| Age Group | Childhood (6-12 yrs), Adulthood (18+ yrs) |
| Population Group | Human; Male; Female |
| Population Details | Location: United States Respondents: Elementary School Students |
| Keywords | Creativity, Differential Item Functioning, Elementary School Students, Examples, Game-Like Computerized Activities, Original Thinking, Originality, Sentences, Uses, External Validity |
| Index Terms | Computer Games, Creativity, Creativity Assessment, Educational Measures, Elementary School Students, Thinking, Differential Item Functioning, External Validity |
| DOI | 10.1037/t91308-000 |
| Files | No file available for download. |
| Reference | Acar, S., Dumas, D., Organisciak, P., & Berthiaume, K. (2024). Measuring original thinking in elementary school: Development and validation of a computational psychometric approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(6), 953–981. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000844 |
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2026). Measure of Original Thinking in Elementary School (MOTES). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/measure-of-original-thinking-in-elementary-school-motes/
Mohammed looti. "Measure of Original Thinking in Elementary School (MOTES)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 4 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/measure-of-original-thinking-in-elementary-school-motes/.
Mohammed looti. "Measure of Original Thinking in Elementary School (MOTES)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/measure-of-original-thinking-in-elementary-school-motes/.
Mohammed looti (2026) 'Measure of Original Thinking in Elementary School (MOTES)', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/measure-of-original-thinking-in-elementary-school-motes/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "Measure of Original Thinking in Elementary School (MOTES)," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.
Mohammed looti. Measure of Original Thinking in Elementary School (MOTES). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.