A second important question relates to the
state-like versus trait-like nature of taskspecific
measurements. While state-like scales measure constructs at a specific point of time
(e.g. I enjoy mathematics teaching today), the trait-like scales collect data about the same constructs in general, that is, across time (e.g. I enjoy mathematics teaching).
Some studies, such as investigations of the influence of learning environments on
students’ goal orientations (Ames, 1992), showed that task-specific measures may be sensitive to change.
These findings suggest that task-specific constructs and measures may have a state-like
nature (Murphy & Alexander, 2000).