Why Am I Avoiding Study? Middle School Students’ Self-Statement of the Reasons Inducing Their Avoidance Motivation in Learning

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 12:40 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Approaches to Motivation Research (Table 31)

Abstract

Drawing upon situated expectancy-value theory, we investigated whether cost perceptions could effectively explain adolescent students’ spontaneous statements of the reasons underlying their avoidance motivation toward learning. 425 middle school students responded to an open-ended question which asked them to write down the five most important reasons that would induce their avoidance tendency during learning. Students’ writing revealing four types of cost perceptions: effort, opportunity, ego, and emotional costs, which accounted for 69% of the total responses. These findings indicate that cost perceptions play a crucial role in determining avoidance intentions. We also examined the constitutes of responses without any theoretical framework and found that the prominent reasons for avoidance included challenging schoolwork, social pressures, examinations, homework, and negative emotions.

Authors

• Linjia Zhang, East China Normal University

• Yue Li, Shanghai Foreign Language School

• Yi Jiang, East China Normal University