Motivational states in an undergraduate mathematics course: relations between facets of individual interest, task values, basic needs, and effort

Abstract

According to situated expectancy-value models, motivational variables play an important role in students’ engagement in academic mathematics courses and achievement. However, for academic mathematical learning, only a few studies provide information regarding the fluctuation of task values on different occasions (situation-specificity, state) and the extent to which task values depend on individual characteristics (personal-specificity, trait). Thus, answering these questions provides information about the extent to which adequate situational characteristics, such as relevance interventions, can influence students’ motivation to engage in the learning process. To contribute to this discussion of the situation- and personal-specificity of task values, I surveyed 181 undergraduate students attending an advanced mathematics course. These students reported on their task values and effort three times in four different lessons during a course in linear algebra. I focused on the following three questions: (1) situation-specificity: to what extent do task values fluctuate between situations (and between persons)? (2) predictions of task values: to what extent do personal characteristics and situational perceptions predict task values? (3) predictions of effort: to what extent do personal characteristics and situational perceptions predict effort? These questions were answered by applying linear mixed models. The analysis results indicate that task values fluctuate only slightly in different situations and are strongly predicted by individual characteristics, such as interest in university mathematics, and task values predict effort. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.