It Matters How You Ask: Cross-Domain Profiles of Motivation Using Standard vs. Comparison Question Types

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Motivational Trajectories, Patterns, and Profiles (Table 4)

Abstract

Students have differing motivations for subjects, such as math and language arts (LA). Prior work has drawn distinctions among students’ subject-specific motivations through profile analyses. However, when profiles are derived from answers about motivation for subjects in isolation, they may not truly represent the dimensional comparisons students make between subjects. This paper demonstrates that profiles derived from standard expectancy–value questions asked of third–fifth graders differ from profiles derived from questions that force participants to choose between subjects. Results reveal that profiles using standard measures classify the majority of students as subject-agnostic, whereas dimensional comparison profiles classify the majority of students as favoring mathematics. Results reveal that the content of questions has implications for the concept of (subject-specific) motivation.

Authors

• Teomara Rutherford, University of Delaware

• Elena Silla, University of Delaware

• Hye Rin Lee, University of Georgia