The concept of meaning has been the subject of numerous studies,
particularly by researchers within the fields of existential, positive, and
humanistic psychology. However, convergence among these works has
only recently begun, notably under the impetus of Wong (2015), who
demonstrated a consensus around two components of meaning: a cognitive
component and a motivational component. In the present session, we
present the development of a short version of the first instrument assessing
meaning of education (MOE−86; Henderson−King & Smith, 2006) using
some item response theory (IRT) parameters. Although the original
10−factor scale demonstrated excellent internal reliabilities, its
development relied solely on exploratory factor analyses. Moreover,
investigations into its structural stability have been lacking, which this
study addressed. For this purpose, 390 high school students from general
and technological secondary education institutions in France responded to
the questionnaire. The current short form comprises 23 items measuring
seven meaning of education dimensions over 10 dimensions in the original
MOE−86; notably, three subscales (World, Stress, and Escape) were
removed based on IRT analyses. Overall, MOE−23 psychometrical
properties support its structural validity. Implications for practice and
further research are discussed.