STEM Subjective Task Value, College Enrollment, and Major Declaration for Students With Disabilities

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: What Diversity Means in STEM Programs

Abstract

I explore college enrollment and STEM major declaration upon entrance to college through the lens of Eccles et al.’s (1983) expectancy-value model of achievement motivation. Specifically, I use the subjective task value portion of this model, investigating math- and science-related constructs including attainment, intrinsic, and utility values, and cost. One of the primary purposes of this paper will be to assess whether or not these concepts work equally well for students with and without disabilities through multiple group comparison within a confirmatory factor analysis framework. Preliminary results show important differences between students with disabilities and those without on all subjective task value factors.

Author

• Joshua David Bittinger, University of Massachusetts - Amherst