First-Year Students’ Initial Motivational Beliefs at University: Predicted by Motivational Beliefs Derived from Within and Out-of-School Experience and Malleable Regardless of the Extent of Students’ Out-of-School Experience

Abstract

The present study tested how academic self-concept of ability (ASC) and intrinsic task value (ITV) transpose onto novel university programs that depart from traditional subject areas within the framework of expectancy-value theory. The study focused on two potential sources of information used to anticipate one’s ASC and ITV regarding new learning content (here: business administration). First, students’ experiences from secondary school, especially their ASCs and ITVs established in a school subject they consider similar to business administration—mathematics—should predict their business administration-specific ASC and ITV. Second, students may have gained relevant experience in out-of-school settings such as internships with business companies or commercial vocational training prior to entering higher education. ASC and ITV developed from out-of-school experiences was hypothesized to predict students’ business administration-specific ASC and ITV as well. However, the likely mismatch between anticipated and actual experience with new contents should lead to revisions of ASC and ITV after entering university reflected in a presumably lower stability compared to secondary school settings. In addition, the extent of students’ out-of-school experience might act as a moderator. Data were collected from 341 first-year students in higher education in Germany before they began their study program and again 3–4 months later. Confirmatory factor analyses support the discriminant validity of the measures used in the study. Results from structural equation modeling show that students’ ASC/ITV derived from relevant out-of-school experience make an important contribution to their initial business administration-specific ASC and ITV beyond their mathematics-specific ASC/ITV. Furthermore, both business administration-specific ASC and ITV showed significantly lower stability coefficients over the initial study phase than research from secondary school indicating revisions to them via experience. Multiple-group structural equation modeling showed no moderating effect of the extent of students’ out-of-school experience. The discussion focuses on interpretations of the expectancy-value theory that explicitly include motivational beliefs derived from out-of-school settings as antecedents of expectancy and value. With respect to practical implications, results are discussed in the light of student counseling and support to help students develop an adequate picture of a study program’s learning contents and overcome initial motivational setbacks.

The Structure of Academic Self-Concept When Facing Novel Learning Content: Multidimensionality, Hierarchy, and Change

“…It would be interesting to see if results were any different in a study focusing on a study program that has the same label as Multidimensionality, Hierarchy, and Change 504 a school subject (e.g., mathematics, biology). In addition, universities of applied sciences typically have a substantial proportion of students' with study-related practical experience (Willich, Buck, Heine, & Sommer, 2011), who may already have a more accurate notion of the subjects related to business administration (but see Gorges, 2017).…”

Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme gene I/D polymorphism with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a meta-analysis

“…The genomic sequence of the ACE gene is polymorphic, and thereof an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism (rs4646994) in intron 16 is found to be highly associated with the circulating ACE level. 10 In particular, carriers of the DD genotype of this polymorphism had higher cellular and circulating levels of ACE, as well as power/sprint performance related to those with the II genotype. 11 It is thus reasonable to hypothesise that the ACE gene I/D polymorphism is a promising candidate locus in susceptibility to COPD.…”

Motivational Beliefs Specific to Business Studies Subfields: Interrelations, Antecedents, and Change in the Introductory Study Phase

“…Following this line of reasoning, students probably need to revise their motivational beliefs once they have gathered experience with the novel learning content (Gorges & Kandler, 2012). Accordingly, motivational beliefs in high school are increasingly stable (Denissen, Zarrett, & Eccles, 2007;Musu-Gillette et al, 2015; see Tempelaar et al, 2011 on the stability of motivational beliefs in higher education), whereas anticipated motivational beliefs in higher education probably need revising during the introductory phase of a study program, which leads to substantial variation in students' motivational beliefs during the introductory phase in higher education (Gorges, 2017). Revising may be rather frustrating for students, who assume that they have chosen the right study program based on their motivational beliefs.…”

“…As is the case with most studies, existing research investigating the hypothesized processes of generalization and revision in higher education contexts focused on broad (groups of) fields of study (Gorges, 2016(Gorges, , 2017Gorges & Göke, 2015;Musu-Gillette et al, 2015), although fields of study reflect higher-order entities grouping a number of subfields rather than subjects. Nevertheless, at the transition into higher education, students' probably anticipate motivational beliefs specific to the field of study instead of forming motivational beliefs specific to hitherto unknown subfields.…”