title: Who took the "x" out of expectancy-value theory? A psychological mystery, a substantive-methodological synergy, and a cross-national generalization.
abstract: Expectancy-value theory (EVT) is a dominant theory of human motivation. Historically, the Expectancy × Value interaction, in which motivation is high only if both expectancy and value are high, was central to EVT. However, the Expectancy × Value interaction mysteriously disappeared from published research more than 25 years ago. Using large representative samples of 15-year-olds (N = 398,750) from 57 diverse countries, we attempted to solve this mystery by testing Expectancy × Value interactions using latent-variable models with interactions. Expectancy (science self-concept), value (enjoyment of science), and the Expectancy × Value interaction all had statistically significant positive effects on both engagement in science activities and intentions of pursuing scientific careers; these results were similar for the total sample and for nearly all of the 57 countries considered separately. This study, apparently the strongest cross-national test of EVT ever undertaken, supports the generalizability of EVT predictions--including the "lost" Expectancy × Value interaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford OX26PY, United Kingdom. benjamin.nagengast@education.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nagengast
authors.forename: Herbert W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.forename: L Francesca
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Scalas
authors.forename: Man K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Kit-Tai
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Hau
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Trautwein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D035841:Behavioral Research; D002321:Career Choice; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009042:Motivation; D012586:Science / Q000193:education; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires