Table_1_Associations between adolescent students’ multiple domain task value-cost profiles and STEM aspirations.docx

According to the modern expectancy-value theory, students’ task values may differ across domains, manifesting as varying motivational patterns. In middle school, students’ motivation becomes increasingly apparent and may direct their future occupational aspirations. Using a person-oriented approach, this study examines students’ self-concept, and positive and negative task values (i.e., utility value, intrinsic value, and emotional cost) across Finnish language, math, biology, and physics, and the stability of the identified profiles. Further, the associations of the profiles with students’ subsequent academic achievement and math and natural science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)/health science STEM aspirations, and gendered effects were examined. Longitudinal data was collected through Grades 7 to 9 in 21 middle schools in Helsinki, Finland (N = 1,309, N = 1,179, N = 818, respectively; age 13–15 years; 55.9% female). Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four task value profiles in Grades 7 and 8: Low motivation high cost STEM (13%/13%) showed low task values with high cost, especially in math and physics; High motivation low cost STEM (7%/8%) showed the highest task values with the lowest cost, especially in math and physics; High motivation high cost (18%/17%) showed high task values and cost across domains; and Moderate motivation and cost (62%/62%) showed moderate task values and cost across domains. The latent transition analysis identified Moderate motivation and cost as the most stable profile across 2 years. In comparison to the other profiles, students with a Low motivation high cost STEM profile were less likely to have STEM aspirations in Grade 9. These results suggests that majority of middle school students are highly to moderately motivated in various domains, however, some students simultaneously experience high cost. It may reflect the increasingly difficult courses and study demands in middle school.

根据现代的期望-价值理论，学生在不同领域对任务的价值观可能存在差异，这表现为不同的动机模式。在中学阶段，学生的动机愈发明显，可能影响他们的未来职业抱负。本研究采用以人为中心的方法，探究了学生在芬兰语、数学、生物学和物理学领域中的自我概念，以及正负任务价值观（即效用价值、内在价值和情感成本）的情况，以及所识别特征的稳定性。此外，还分析了这些特征与学生后续的学术成就、数学和自然科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）/健康科学STEM抱负之间的关系，以及性别效应。通过在芬兰赫尔辛基的21所中学（N = 1,309, N = 1,179, N = 818，分别对应7至9年级；年龄为13-15岁；女性占比55.9%）收集的纵向数据，潜在剖面分析（LPA）在7年级和8年级中识别出四种任务价值观特征：低动机高成本STEM（13%/13%）表现为任务价值观低而成本高，尤其在数学和物理学上；高动机低成本STEM（7%/8%）表现出最高的任务价值观和最低的成本，尤其在数学和物理学上；高动机高成本（18%/17%）在各个领域均表现出高任务价值观和成本；以及中等动机和成本（62%/62%）在各个领域均表现出中等任务价值观和成本。潜在转换分析显示，中等动机和成本是两年间最稳定的特征。与其它特征相比，具有低动机高成本STEM特征的学生在9年级不太可能有STEM抱负。这些结果暗示，大多数中学生在不同领域具有较高的动机至中等动机，然而，一些学生同时经历了较高的成本。这可能反映了中学课程和学业要求的日益增加。