Measuring Short-Term Changes in Academic Motivation

The findings of this study provide new information about modern expectancy-value theory. These results show that changes in motivation occurred while students were working on an academic task. The results also show that the 'expectancy' and 'value' constructs change in different ways and have different contextual influences. Additionally, evidence was found supporting the hypothesis that the 'interest' and 'enjoyment' constructs are not the same and could change in opposite directions over time. Although longitudinal studies shed light on age-related changes in academic motivation, in light of the findings in this study, future research should also explore short-term changes in motivation as students work on academic tasks. Another important contribution of this study is that it examines academic motivation within a learning environment. Studying motivation in context provides information that teachers can use when they plan their lessons and look for ways to help their students be more engaged.