How students’ motivational profiles change during the transition from primary to lower secondary school

Abstract

Following the situated expectancy-value model of achievement motivation, this 3-wave study examines the stability and change of motivational patterns of students (Mage at the outset = 12.33 years; SD = 0.37 years; 54.5 % female) transferring from primary to lower secondary school. Four task values (attainment, cost, intrinsic, utility value) and success expectancies (self-concept) in the domains of mathematics and literacy were assessed three times with questionnaires. Latent transition analysis for task values and success expectations with gender and parental education as control variables and test scores of fluid intelligence, math and literacy as outcomes was performed. The results reveal four different motivational patterns: (1) “disengaged strained”, 27–31 % (low motivation and high cost), (2) “disengaged relaxed”, 19–25 % (low motivation and low cost), (3) “positively engaged”, 14–20 % (high motivation and low cost), (4) “struggling ambitious”, 31–34 % (high motivation and high cost). Except for the “positively engaged” profile, probabilities of staying in the same profile were relatively high. During the transition to lower secondary school the groups characterized by high motivation combined with either low (“positively engaged”) or high (“struggling ambitious”) cost became smaller, whereas the two other groups characterized by low motivation combined with either low (“disengaged relaxed”) or high (“disengaged strained”) cost became bigger. Particularly, students with a “positively engaged” profile have a higher probability to change to one of the disengaged profiles over time. Students with a “struggling ambitious” profile had the highest test scores in fluid intelligence, math, and literacy.