Abstract
According to modern expectancy-value theory, students’ motivation in school subjects begins to vary at the very beginning of their school careers, showing a task-specific pattern of motivation. However, there is no clear evidence in the literature on how students’ value beliefs are formed and interact with each other in early elementary schools. Using the longitudinal structural equation modeling, this study examined relations between science-related task values (i.e., intrinsic value and cost), self-concept of ability, and future occupational aspirations based on first graders and 1-year follow-up from seven schools in Helsinki (N = 332; ages = 7 and 8 years; girls = 51%). Results showed that the students who had a high science-related self-concept of ability and intrinsic value tended to perceive low cost of science learning. Science-related self-concept of ability was the most stable construct, while in intrinsic value and cost, there were significant levels of fluctuation across the first and second grades. A high science-related self-concept of ability in the first grade predicted a lower cost value in the second grade, and a high science-related intrinsic value was a marginally significant predictor of future occupational aspirations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Mean-level differences revealed that the girls’ science-related self-concept of ability, intrinsic value, and cost remained the same in both grades, while the boys’ self-concept of ability decreased. The girls’ mean levels in science-related intrinsic value were higher than those of the boys, while students’ self-concept of ability and cost were similar across gender in both grades. A cross-lagged panel model revealed that the girls reported more STEM occupational aspirations than the boys in the second grade, while controlling for the motivational beliefs. In summary, the results indicate that a high-level of science interest in young students predicts STEM occupational aspirations; high girls’ intrinsic value in early science education does not steer them away from STEM occupations; boys’ task motivation might be at greater risk of decline during early science education.
Highlights
During the last decade, increased attention has been given to low student interest and engagement in science learning and science-related careers
The scale included self-concept of ability in science (i.e., “I am good at science,” “I am good at schoolwork on this subject,” and “Schoolwork on this subject is easy for me”; Time 1 α = 0.66, Time 2 α = 0.63), science intrinsic value (i.e., “I find science fun,” “I like to do schoolwork on this subject,” and “I just like this subject”; Time 1 α = 0.89, Time 2 α = 0.85), and science cost (i.e., “I am tired after doing schoolwork on this subject,” “Studying this subject takes a lot of energy,” and “I don’t have time to do the thing I want, if I want to be good at this subject”; Time 1 α = 0.59, Time 2 α = 0.66)
According to the present study’s descriptive statistics (Table 1), the students had a high science-related self-concept of ability, i.e., they felt science was interesting, and they did not perceive a high cost in science learning
Summary
During the last decade, increased attention has been given to low student interest and engagement in science learning and science-related careers. Trends consistently show a decrease over time in students’ positive attitudes and motivation toward science and their pursuit of science-related careers. Recent international large-scale assessments, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS), have showed that Finnish students’ science-related achievement and motivation have been declining (Martin et al, 2016; OECD, 2016). The class-level variances and intra-class correlations between the classes were low (ranging from 0.02 to 0.10) at both time points, indicating that the students’ motivation was mainly explained at the student level, which meant that the multilevel model was not necessary
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