Competence and Rationale: Interactions at Multiple Levels Predict Classroom Engagement in Science

• In Event: 61.015 - Embracing and Modeling the Complex Dynamics of Motivation and Engagement: Contextual, Temporal, Dynamic, and Systematic

Abstract

Objective
This study aims to determine if the association between daily rationale and engagement in science class is modified by 1) the general perceptions of competence for science (PCS) or 2) daily perceptions of competence (DPC), which is specific to classroom activities.
Theoretical Framework
Self-determination (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and expectancy-value theories (EVT; Wigfield & Eccles, 2000) suggest that teachers’ provision of rationales (i.e., expressions of value) boosts classroom engagement. This effect is supported by meta-analytic evidence (Steingut, Patall, & Trimble, 2017). Furthermore, EVT predicts that value and expectancy interact in predicting engagement (Trautwein et al., 2012). Applying this prediction to rationales, Durik et al. (2015) found that rationales were more strongly associated with interest for students high in competence in a laboratory setting. However, it is unclear whether these associations hold in the classroom context and whether the target of the perceived competence (PC) construct (science class in general vs. a given day’s activities in science class) influences the nature of the interaction.
Methods & Analysis
High school students (n=207, 41 classrooms) reported perceptions of competence in science (PCS) before the unit began. Students also reported daily 1) perceptions of rationale provision, 2) perceptions of competence (DPC), and 3) engagement after each class during a six-week unit. We specified a hierarchical linear model for each type of competence with random intercepts for student and classroom and a random slope for the rationale variable. Predictors included daily and student-aggregated rationale, DPC or PCS, the interaction, time, and the lagged engagement variable.
Results
In mixed models with each type of PC, daily perceptions of rationale were positively related to engagement at both the daily (β=.12-.17, p<.001) and student levels (β=.41-.44, p<.001). In addition, we found significant interactions between daily rationale and both PCS (β= -.04, p <.05) and DPC (β=.04, p<.001). Simple effects suggest that daily perceptions of rationale were more strongly related to engagement for students low in PCS (Table 1). The opposite pattern held for the DPC moderator: daily perceptions of rationale was more strongly related to engagement for students reporting greater PC regarding the activities in science class on that day (Table 1). Results also reveal a significant three-way interaction between rationale, PCS and DPC (β=-.05, p<.001). Simple effects demonstrate that the effects of rationale on engagement is non-significant for students low in PCS when DPC is also low (see Table 2).
Significance
Results support EVT’s prediction of an interaction between PC and value. However, results suggest that the direction of the interaction may depend on the conceptualization of PC. Specifically, the pattern identified by Durik et al. (2015),) may be most likely when PC refers to a more proximal target (activities in science class on the same day) as opposed to a more general target with a more distal measurement (science class in general). Furthermore, students who are confident in science in general may be protected from the negative effects of daily rationale on days when they feel less competent.

Authors

• Rebecca Rose Steingut, NA

• Erika Alisha Patall, University of Southern California

• Keenan A. Pituch, The University of Texas at Austin

• Ariana Christine Vasquez, University of Pittsburgh