“Why are we learning this?!” — Investigating students’ subjective study values across different disciplines

Abstract

Differences between academic disciplines have been a well-studied theme in higher education research. But even though students’ subjective study values are a key factor for successful studying, research examining their disciplinary differences in the higher education context is lacking. To address this, this study draws on expectancy-value theory, investigates students’ subjective study values across nine different disciplines, and analyses its discipline-specific relation to study success. For this, we used a large-scale data sample of N = 6.321 university students from the German National Educational Panel Study. Subjective study values were assessed in terms of intrinsic values, utility values, attainment values, and costs, while study success was captured by students’ grade and dropout intention. Data were analysed through multi-group structural equation modelling. Our findings suggest that (1) students’ subjective study values differ markedly across academic disciplines and (2) study disciplines moderate the relation between study values and study success. On a research level, our findings contribute to a more differentiated view on subjective study values in the higher education context. On a practical level, our findings can help to uncover motivational problems of students from different disciplines, which might ultimately help to reduce dropouts and improve grades.