Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

What if I can’t? Success expectancies moderate the effects of utility value information on situational interest and performance

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Motivation and Emotion Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Two studies tested how the effects of a utility value manipulation on interest and performance were moderated by expectations for success. College students learned a new technique for mentally solving multiplication problems with instructions containing task utility information or not. In Study 1 (N = 62), the effect of the utility value information was positive for individuals with high success expectancies, but negative for individuals with low success expectancies. Study 2 (N = 148) examined the causal role of success expectancies by manipulating whether participants received an expectancy boost before receiving the utility manipulation. The results showed further support for the importance of success expectancies in moderating the effect of directly-communicated utility value. The results are discussed in relation to other research on utility value, interest, and expectancy–value models of achievement behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aronson, E. (1968). Dissonance theory: Progress and problems. In R. P. Abelson, E Aronson, W. J. McGuire, T. M. Newcomb, M. J. Rosenberg, & P. H. Tannenbaum (Eds.), Theories of cognitive consistency: A sourcebook (pp. 5–27). Chicago: Rand McNally.

  • Atkinson, J. W. (1974). The mainsprings of achievement-oriented activity. In J. W. Atkinson & J. O. Raynor (Eds.), Motivation and achievement (pp. 13–41). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, J. W., & Raynor, J. O. (1974). Motivation and achievement. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191–215.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanisms in human agency. American Psychologist, 37, 122–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barron, K. E., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2001). Achievement goals and optimal motivation: Testing multiple goal models. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 706–722.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bong, M. (2001). Role of self-efficacy and task-value in predicting college students’ course performance and future enrollment intentions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 26, 553–570.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, A., Darst, P. W., & Pangrazi, R. P. (2001). An examination of situational interest and its sources. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71, 383–400.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., Eghrari, H., Patrick, B. C., & Leone, D. (1994). Facilitating internalization: The self-determination theory perspective. Journal of Personality, 62, 119–142.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Durik, A. M., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2007). Different strokes for different folks: How personal interest moderates the effects of situational factors on task interest. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 597–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durik, A. M., Hulleman, C. S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (in press). One size fits some: Instructional enhancements to promote interest don’t work the same for everyone. In K. A. Renninger & M. Nieswandt (Eds.), Interest, the self, and K-16 mathematics and science learning. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

  • Dweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learning. American Psychologist, 41, 1040–1048.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95, 256–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S. (1984). Sex differences in achievement patterns. In T. B. Sonderegger (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation: Psychology and gender (pp. 97–132). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., Adler, T. F., Futterman, R., Goff, S. B., Kaczala, C. M., Meece, J. L., et al. (1983). Expectancies, values, and academic behaviors. In J. T. Spence (Ed.), Achievement and achievement motives: Psychological and sociological approaches (pp. 75–146). San Francisco: W.H. Freeman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (1995). In the mind of the actor: The structure of adolescents’ achievement task values and expectancy-related beliefs. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 215–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109–132.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harackiewicz, J. M., Rozek, C. S., Hulleman, C. S., & Hyde, J. S. (2012). Helping parents to motivate adolescents in mathematics and science: An experimental test of a utility-value intervention. Psychological Science, 43. doi:10.1177/0956797611435530.

  • Harackiewicz, J. M., & Sansone, C. (1991). Goals and intrinsic motivation: You can get there from here. Advances in Motivation and Achievement, 7, 21–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hidi, S., & Renninger, K. A. (2006). The four-phase model of interest development. Educational Psychologist, 41, 111–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hulleman, C. S., Durik, A. M., Schweigert, S. A., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2008). Task values, achievement goals, and interest: An integrative analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 398–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hulleman, C. S., Godes, O., Hendricks, B. L., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2010a). Enhancing interest and performance with a utility value intervention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 880–895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hulleman, C. S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2009). Promoting interest and performance in high school science classes. Science, 326, 1410–1412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hulleman, C. S., Schrager, S., Bodmann, S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2010b). A meta-analytic review of achievement goal measures: Different labels for the same constructs or different constructs with similar labels? Psychological Bulletin, 136, 422–449.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Husman, J., & Lens, W. (1999). The role of future in student motivation. Educational Psychologist, 34, 113–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, J. E., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Parents, task values, and real-life achievement-related choices. In C. Sansone & J. M. Harackiewicz (Eds.), Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The search for optimal motivation and performance (pp. 405–439). San Diego, CA: Academic Press Inc.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Koller, O., Baumert, J., & Schnabel, K. (2001). Does interest matter? The relationship between academic interest and achievement in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 32, 448–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krapp, A. (1999). Interest, motivation and learning: An educational–psychological perspective. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 14, 23–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krapp, A. (2000). Interest and human development during adolescence: An educational–psychological approach. In J. Heckhausen (Ed.), Motivational psychology of human development (pp. 109–128). London: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lens, W., & Decruyenaere, M. (1991). Motivation and de-motivation in secondary education: Student characteristics. Learning and Instruction, 1, 145–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lens, W., Simons, J., & Dewitte, S. (2001). Student motivation and self-regulation as a function of future time perspective and perceived instrumentality. In S. Volet & S. Järvelä (Eds.), Motivation in learning contexts (pp. 233–248). New York: Pergamon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., Durik, A. M., Conley, A. M., Barron, K. E., Tauer, J. M., Karabenick, S. A., et al. (2010). Situational Interest Survey (SIS): An instrument to assess the role of situational factors in interest development. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70, 647–671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W., Trautwein, U., Ludtke, O., Koller, O., & Baumert, J. (2005). Academic self-concept, interest, grades, and standardized test scores: Reciprocal effects models of causal ordering. Child Development, 76, 397–416.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meece, J. L., Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (1990). Predictors of math anxiety and its influence on young adolescents’ course enrollment intentions and performance in mathematics. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 60–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, M. (1993). Situational interest: Its multifaceted structure in the secondary school mathematics classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 424–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Praise for intelligence can undermine children’s motivation and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 33–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nagengast, B., Marsh, H. W., Scalas, L. F., Xu, M., Hau, K.-T., & Trautwein, U. (2011). Who took the “X” out of expectancy–value theory? A psychological mystery, a substantive-methodological synergy, and a cross-national generalization. Psychological Science, 22, 1058–1066. doi:10.1177/0956797611415540.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Renninger, K. A. (1990). Children’s play interests, representation, and activity. In R. Fivush & K. Hudson (Eds.), Knowing and remembering in young children (pp. 127–165). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renninger, K. A. (2000). Individual interest and its implications for understanding intrinsic motivation. In C. Sansone & J. M. Harackiewicz (Eds.), Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The search for optimal motivation and performance (pp. 373–404). San Diego, CA: Academic Press Inc.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Renninger, K. A., & Hidi, S. (2002). Interest and achievement: Developmental issues raised by a case study. In A. Wigfield & J. Eccles (Eds.), Development of achievement motivation (pp. 173–195). New York: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Renninger, K. A., Hidi, S., & Krapp, A. (1992). The role of interest in learning and development. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Connell, J. P. (1989). Perceived locus of causality and internalization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 749–761.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sansone, C., & Thoman, D. B. (2005). Interest as the missing motivator in self-regulation. European Psychologist, 10, 175–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sansone, C., Weir, C., Harpster, L., & Morgan, C. (1992). Once a boring task always a boring task? Interest as a self-regulatory mechanism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 379–390.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sansone, C., Wiebe, D. J., & Morgan, C. (1999). Self-regulating interest: The moderating role of hardiness and conscientiousness. Journal of Personality, 61, 701–733.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schiefele, U. (1991). Interest, learning, and motivation. Educational Psychologist, 26, 299–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schraw, G., & Lehman, S. (2001). Situational interest: A review of the literature and discussions for future research. Educational Psychology Review, 13, 23–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shechter, O. G., Durik, A. M., Miyamoto, Y., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2011). The role of utility value in achievement behavior: The importance of culture. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 303–317.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, J., Dewitte, S., & Lens, W. (2000). Wanting to have versus wanting to be: The effect of perceived instrumentality on goal orientation. British Journal of Psychology, 91, 335–351.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, J., Dewitte, S., & Lens, W. (2004). The role of different types of instrumentality in motivation, study strategies, and performance: Know why you learn, so you’ll know what you learn! British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 343–360.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simpkins, S. D., Davis-Kean, P. E., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). Math and science motivation: A longitudinal examination of the links between choices and beliefs. Developmental Psychology, 42, 70–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tolman, E. C. (1932). Purposive behavior in animals and men. New York: Appleton-Century.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trautwein, U., Marsh, H. W., Nagengast, B., Lüdtke, O., Nagy, G., & Jonkmann, K. (2012). Probing for the multiplicative term in modern expectancy–value theory: A latent interaction modeling study. Journal of Educational Psychology. doi: 10.1037/a0027470.

  • Vansteenkiste, M., Simons, J., Lens, W., Soenens, B., Matos, L., & Lacante, M. (2004). Less is sometimes more: Goal content matters. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 755–764.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and motivation. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wigfield, A. (1994). Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation: A developmental perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 6, 49–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeager, D. S., & Walton, G. M. (2011). Social psychological interventions in education: They’re not magic. Review of Educational Research, 81, 267–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Award # R305B090009. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the U.S. Department of Education.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA

    Amanda M. Durik

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Olga G. Shechter, Michael Noh, Christopher S. Rozek & Judith M. Harackiewicz

Authors
  1. Amanda M. Durik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Olga G. Shechter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Noh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christopher S. Rozek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Judith M. Harackiewicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amanda M. Durik.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Durik, A.M., Shechter, O.G., Noh, M. et al. What if I can’t? Success expectancies moderate the effects of utility value information on situational interest and performance. Motiv Emot 39, 104–118 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9419-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9419-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation