Overview of MES-HS
The Motivation and Engagement Scale – High School (MES-HS) is an instrument that measures high
school students’ (12-18 years) motivation and engagement. It assesses motivation through three
adaptive cognitive dimensions (booster thoughts), three adaptive behavioral dimensions (booster
behaviors), three impeding/maladaptive cognitive dimensions (mufflers), and two maladaptive
behavioral dimensions (guzzlers) of motivation and engagement. Each of the eleven factors comprises
four items – hence it is a 44-item instrument. To each item, students rate themselves on a scale of 1
(‘Strongly Disagree’) to 7 (‘Strongly Agree’).