Academic Values: Definitions and
Conceptual Background
A person’s desire, preference, or
“wanting” for certain academic goals and
outcomes.
An individuals education and achievement-related
decisions are "made in the context of a complex social reality that
presents individuals with a wide variety of choices, each with
long- term and immediate consequences" (Eccles, 2005, p. XX).
One component of this multidimensional decision-making process is
the personal value that an individual associates with each
possible option that is being considered.
Historically, the construct of values in the field
of psychology has had both broad and narrow definitions (Wigfield
& Eccles, 2002). In broader conceptualizations, theorists
and researchers have attempted to outline the basic set of values
necessary for all humans. Achievement (broadly
defined) has been included in most comprehensive lists of essential
human values (Schwartz, 1992). In the current context,
achievement values play a central role in
contemporary expectancy-value models of motivation (Eccles &
Wigfield, 2002; Graham & Taylor, 2002; Wigfield & Eccles,
2002). Similar to academic goals, academic values influence
the purposes for individuals to engage in different academic tasks
and activities.
In simple terms, “motivation is determined
by some combination of the perceived likelihood that a goal will be
attained (the expectancy component) and how much that goal is
desired or wanted (the value component)” (Graham &
Taylor, 2002, p. 121). Thevalue component of
academic motivation is conceptualized, in turn, to consist of 4
components: attainment value, intrinsic value, utility value,
and cost (Eccles, 2005). Collectively these value components
contribute to a student’s desires and preferences for
learning as reflected in the perceived desirability, importance,
and usefulness of academic tasks (Graham & Taylor,
2002). Academic values are important for school
learning. As early as first grade, and increasing in strength
with age, achievement task values predict both a student’s
intention and decisions to engage in specific activities or domains
(Wigfield & Eccles, 2002). In this document,
academic values are defined as a student’s
desire, preference, or “wanting” for certain academic
goals and outcomes.
Personal (in this case academic) values are
hypothesized to to be ordered in a subjective value
hierarchy. As a result, decisions regarding possible
options are conceptualized to be based on relative "within"
comparisons in contrast to absolute mean-level considerations
(Eccles, 2005).
Components of values in academic motivation
(Eccles, 2005)
-
Attainment value is the personal
importance an individual attaches to participating in or performing
well on a given task. Attainment value is linked to
motivation vis-a-vis the extent to which a task provides
opportunities to fulfill a number of an individuals basic needs
(viz., autonomy, social relatedness, and a sense of competence. It
has been hypothesized that individuals develop social and personal
identities that influence the value an individual attaches to
various tasks and activities.
-
Intrinsic value is the feeling of
immersion in, and being carried away by, a specific task or
activity (e.g., "flow"). Intrinsic value is viewed as
differing from intrinsic motivation, with the former dealing more
with the origin of the decision to participate in an activity/task
verses the source of the activities value. Eccles (2005) has
suggested that intrinsic value may be a specific form of the
experience labeled as "flow", which is typically characterized by:
(1) the feeling of being totally immersed and carried away by an
activity, (2) a merging of action and awareness, (3) selective and
sustained focus of attention on a narrow field of
stimuli/experiences, (4) a lack of self-consciousness, and (5) the
feeling that the individual is actively in control of their actions
and the environment. Furthermore, flow is hypothesized to
only be possible when their is a "goodness-of-fit" between a
person's feelings that their opportunities for action match their
ability to master the challenges.
-
Utility value is a pragmatic
component of motivation. Utility value refers to how a task
or activity fits into a person's future plans
-
Perceived value is the perception of
different "cost" associated with in an activity or task.
Frequently mentioned value costs include anxiety and fears of: (a)
the consequences of success, (b) potential loss of self-worth, and
(c) fear of failing. For example, high- achievement students
who fear failure (failure avoidant) may avoid challenging tasks in
order to minimize the probability of failure
experiences
