Linking Competence Beliefs and Task Values in an Environmentally Relevant Science Curriculum

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 9:45 am
  In Poster Session: Social, Cultural, and Emotional Foundations of Student Learning and Motivation

Abstract

Competence perceptions and subjective task values are key motivational factors in science learning, yet the nature of their bidirectional relationship across gender remains unclear. This study examined 186 high school students participating in a science program that connected classroom content to a local environmental issue. Surveys were completed at the beginning and again six months later. Results showed that both male and female students increasingly endorsed gender-based competence beliefs over time. Latent path analysis indicated that initial competence perceptions predicted later task values, but the reverse relationship was not observed. These patterns were consistent across gender. Findings suggest that while gendered beliefs about science ability persist, supporting students’ sense of competence may enhance their motivation and valuing of science.

Authors

• Eva Li, University of California - Riverside

• Cecilia Cheung, University of California - Riverside