Georgia Educational Research Association: What Matters in Motivation? Probing the Dimensionality of Expectancy-Value Theory in Diversity Education

• In Event: The Consortium of State and Regional Educational Research Associations Distinguished Paper Session 1

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to help bridge the gap between motivation and diversity education by examining the dimensionality of Expectancy-Value (EV) theory in diversity education through a comparative exploratory factor analysis. Participants were 254 college students who were predominantly education majors (86.7%), White (60.6%), and female (76.4%). Separate exploratory factor analyses (EFA) produced very similar 2-factor structures in contrast with the five-dimensional model of EV theory: value and cost. While the results confirmed the domain-specific nature of EV theory, they raised parsimony concerns and suggested the essentials to helping make diversity education more motivating. Future research needs to further examine the dimensionality of EV theory and develop EV instruments for diversity education through confirmatory factor analysis.

Author

• Yan Yang, The University of West Georgia