Attainment Value as a Protective Factor Against the Adverse Effects of Costs

• In Event: Situated Expectancy-Value Theory and Undergraduate STEM Retention: Novel Approaches to Enduring Questions

Abstract

This study investigated how first-year engineering undergraduate students’ (N=2,810) attainment value, perceived costs, and their interactions predicted students' academic performance and engineering persistence (engineering retention, engineering career intentions, engineering college admission). To investigate latent interactions, structural equation modeling was used with separate models for each cost variable (effort, opportunity, psychological). Results revealed significant interactions between attainment value and effort cost in predicting engineering career intentions as well as attainment value and opportunity cost in predicting academic performance. Specifically, high attainment value buffered the negative influence of effort and opportunity costs on career intentions and GPA, respectively. These findings highlight the importance of considering interactions between attainment value and perceived costs in future studies.

Authors

• Utku Caybas, Michigan State University

• John Keane, University of Michigan

• Patrick Walton, Michigan State University

• Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia, Michigan State University