Module 11
Expectancy and Value
Expectancy and Values both play a role in motivation.
A) Expectancy: an individual’s belief in their ability to succeed
B) Value: an individual’s belief about the benefits to be accrued from performing a particualr task
For a task to be motivating, it must have both. Tasks that are characterized by an expectation of failure will not motivate the individual to perform at their best. Similarly, tasks that are seen as having limited value generally will not prompt full effort.
Expectancy is influenced by a variety of circumstances.
1) Results from prior experience. If the individual has had success in similar situations, then they can expect to achieve in this situation.
2) Self-efficacy: Self-efficacy is the sense that individual's have about their abiltiy to influence their world. If an individual feels no sense of self efficy, than the individual will have an expectation that their effort does not matter.
3) Work habits: Individuals with effective and well mamnaged work habits are likely to have a better sense of self-efficacy than individuals with poor work habits.
4) Percieved difficulty of a task: While a difficult task may be met with increased determination and motivation, if the task is perceived as too difficult, it will likely increase stress and anxiety while decreasing expectations of a positive outcome.
5) Environmental resources: If the individual pereives resources and support are available in the environment, they are likely to maintain a more positive expectation of the outcome.
6) Quality of instruction: In classroom settings, if the student perceives the instruction to be of high quality, they are likely to maintain a positive expectation of outcomes.
7) Anticiapted effort to suceed: Each individual must evaluate the amount of effort required to achieve success, then must decide if this level of effort is reasonable based on the expected outcome.
Value is the second part of the equation. Regardless of the items noted above, unless the task has some value, the individual will not be motivated to succeed. Value is increased by:
1) Association with other pleasureable people or activities: One method to increase the value of a task or outcome is to associate the task with pleasure. Obviously, advertisers have built on this notion for years.
2) Association with perceived positive personal qualities: One example is an anti-drug message which was broadcast on television for some time, the tag line was "n means to a desired goal n brings pleasure and enjoyment
3) Demonstrating that the task is a means to a desired goal: A standard example is the constant refrain that children hear that school is necessary to attain a good job. Interestingly, while this phrase is a good example of this principle, it also raises some troubling questions. For instance, if children are expected to go to school to "get a good job," does this imply that school is useless to children immediately, and that it must be suffered through simply for some future payoff? Additionally, if the focus is on the future, than does this promote external reasons for learning which may promote performace goals rather than learning goals?
4) Showing the task brings pleasure and enjoyment: Huck Finn is a classic American tale where an adolescent recognized the worth of this principle. By convincing others that a task would bring pleasure, he was able to escape what he viewed to be a punishment- whitewashing the fence. (Yes, I realize that Huck Finn is a fictional character and therefore demonstrates nothing at all. I was afraid to include this example lest it ruin my academic career much the way the Murphy Brown aided in the downfall of Dan Quayle, but my need to demonstrate i have read Mark Twain won out.)
