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The Secret of Achievement Motivation: How did Eccles expand on expectancy-value theory?
Expectation-value theory has not only attracted widespread attention in the education community, but its influence on psychology, health, marketing and other fields cannot be underestimated. The core of this theory is that individuals' expectations and values will directly affect their behavioral choices. In the field of education, Eccles further expanded this theory and formed a new understanding of motivation for academic achievement.
The origin and development of theory
The expectancy-value theory was proposed by John William Atkinson between the 1950s and 1960s, aiming to conduct an in-depth study of individual achievement motivation. In the 1980s, Eccles expanded the theory, particularly in educational applications. According to Eccles' research, student achievement and its related choices are primarily influenced by two factors: success expectations and subjective task value.
Success expectation refers to an individual's self-confidence in completing a certain task, while task value refers to the individual's belief in the importance, practicality or interest of the task.
Expectations of success and subjective task value
Success expectancy is an individual's belief in future success, which affects their behavior and decision-making process. Eccles pointed out that this expectation is closely related to ability beliefs such as self-concept and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to successfully perform a specific task.
Subjective task value helps individuals answer "Do I want to engage in this activity and why?" These values can be divided into four categories: achievement value, intrinsic value, practical value and cost.
The influence of learning motivation and age and gender
Studies have found that motivation to learn generally declines over time during an academic career. This decline was particularly pronounced in mathematics achievement and was strongly associated with the effect of gender. Scholars have also proposed some explanations, arguing that as students advance in grade, the focus of the learning environment shifts from learning to achievement, which may have a negative impact on students' motivation.
Students were found to be able to distinguish between different subject areas more clearly as they grew older, and this more complex conceptualization also contributed to their cognitive development of the subjects.
Intervention measures and educational practices
Eccles' research also led to the design of interventions aimed at changing students' motivational beliefs. These interventions not only increase students' expectations and sense of value, but also reduce costs in learning. This type of intervention can be particularly effective by designing lessons that enable students to understand the connections between the learning material and their lives.
Research shows that when students can see connections between what they are learning and their own lives, their interest and performance tend to increase significantly.
Expectation – the application of value theory in multiple fields
In addition to education, the application of expectation-value theory also extends to health, communication, marketing and other fields. Psychologist Martin Fishbein created this theory in the 1970s to understand the process of individual attitude formation and change. With the development of research, this theory has now been applied to a wider range of areas, helping to explain individual behavior and the psychological mechanisms behind it.
The basic components of the expectancy-value theory include an individual's belief in something or behavior, the values underlying the belief, and the expectations formed based on these beliefs and values.
Conclusion: Future Exploration
With the further development of expectation-value theory, future research may focus more on how to actually improve learners' motivation, allowing educators to more effectively stimulate students' interest in learning. In today's ever-changing society, how to enable students to find intrinsic motivation and maintain their enthusiasm and motivation for learning is still an important issue worthy of deep thought.
