Students' Classroom Experiences Matter in STEM: Joint Consideration of Expectancy-Value Theory, Mind-Sets, and Gender

• In Event: The Interplay Between and Consequences of Classroom Climate and Student Identity in STEM Contexts

Abstract

There is an urgent need to increase the representation of women in STEM. One avenue of investigation is to better understand the role of students’ perceptions of their classroom experiences as motivational pathways to academic success in STEM. Guided by theories of intelligence and expectancy-value theory, we investigated (a) the mediating role of perceptions of classroom experiences in relationships between theories of intelligence, motivational beliefs (i.e., self-efficacy, task values), and achievement and (b) the extent to which these relationships differ between genders in undergraduate physics. Multiple-group structural equation modeling revealed (1) several significant mediated pathways and (2) significant gender differences in these relationships. Scholarly contributions and implications are discussed.

Authors

• Hyewon Lee, University of California - Irvine

• Shirley L. Yu, The Ohio State University

• Minjung Kim, The Ohio State University