Turkish adaptation of a self-report measure for current achievement: the Current Motivation Questionnaire

The absence of a valid and reliable instrument to measure situational motivation in the Turkish context highlights the need for adapting the Current Motivation Questionnaire (QCM). This study aims to adapt the short form of the QCM into Turkish and examine its psychometric properties. The study was conducted with 302 pre-service teachers during the 2024–2025 academic year in Ankara, Turkiye. Linguistic validity was examined through translation–back translation and correlation analysis. Construct validity was tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and reliability was examined using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, item–total correlations, and top–bottom 27% group comparisons.CFA supported the original four-factor structure (Interest, Anxiety, Probability of Success, Challenge) of the QCM with acceptable model fit indices (χ 2 /df = 2.79, RMSEA = 0.094, CFI = 0.940, TLI = 0.914, GFI = 0.905). Internal consistency was high for the overall questionnaire (α = 0.893), and item discrimination analyses indicated that all items were statistically significant ( p < 0.001). The findings demonstrate that the Turkish version of the QCM is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing pre-service teachers’ situational motivation. The scale can be effectively used in task-based and mobile-assisted outdoor learning contexts within Turkish educational settings.