A scale was developed to assess several types of motivation in elementary school children. In addition to the usually recognized internal and external motivation, a third type, termed "amotivation," has been postulated. Students are amotivated when they do not perceive a link between outcomes and their own actions. The preliminary version of the Elementary School Motivation Scale (ESMS) to measure these types of motivation was prepared after asking 561 students in 9 elementary schools in the Montreal area (Quebec, Canada) reasons why they did their homework and why they went to school. An initial 40-item version was completed by 478 students from the same area. Four teachers were asked to judge whether the scale would by suitable for elementary school students. Overall findings with the sample replicated results obtained with similar scales for high school and junior high school students. Some support was found for the reliability and validity of the ESMS. These preliminary results suggest that the scale should be a useful tool for motivation research at the elementary-school level. (Contains 3 tables and 12 references.) (SLD)