Papers by Jacquelynne Eccles
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Mar 1, 1995
Educational psychology review, May 17, 2024
To address the seven guiding questions posed for authors of articles in this special issue, we be... more To address the seven guiding questions posed for authors of articles in this special issue, we begin by discussing the development (in the late 1970s-early 1980s) of Eccles' expectancy-value theory of achievement choice (EEVT), a theory developed to explain the cultural phenomenon of why girls were less likely to participate in STEM courses and careers. We then discuss how we tested key predictions from the theory, notably how expectancies and values relate to achievement choices and performance and how socialization practices at home and in school influence them. Next, we discuss three main refinements: addressing developmental aspects of the theory, refining construct definitions, and renaming the theory situated expectancy value theory. We discuss reasons for that change, and their implications. To illustrate the theory's practicality, we discuss intervention projects based in the model, and what next steps should be in SEVT-based intervention research. We close with suggestions for future research, emphasizing attaining consensus on how to measure the central constructs, expanding the model to capture better motivation of diverse groups, and the challenges of testing the increasingly complex predictions stemming from the model. Throughout the manuscript, we make suggestions for early career researchers to provide guidance for their own development of theories. We 1 are pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the development of what is now called situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT). We trace the early development of the model from Parsons et al.'s (1976) early work, discuss some of the studies This article is part of the Topical Collection on Theory Development in Educational Psychology Extended author information available on the last page of the article 1 When talking about work Eccles and Wigfield did together we use the pronoun "we," or more generally, use first person. When talking about EVT work we did not do together we will use our names. Note that Jacque Eccles initially was J. E. Parsons, then J. Eccles-Parsons, and now J. S. Eccles.
Educational Psychology Review, 2020
The authors connect Möller and Marsh's dimensional comparison theory with Eccles, Wigfield, and c... more The authors connect Möller and Marsh's dimensional comparison theory with Eccles, Wigfield, and colleagues' expectancy-value theory of achievement performance and choice, to help explain the observed relations between key constructs in expectancyvalue theory and their relations to individuals' achievement outcomes by specifying processes that underlie those relations. Dimensional comparison processes concern individuals' comparisons of their ability in one domain with their ability in another domain. The authors posit that these (along with social and temporal comparisons) play a critical role not just in the development of individuals' self-concepts of ability but also in the development of their subjective task values for different activities, and the connections of these to performance and choice. Dimensional comparison theory and the evidence for the strong impact of dimensional comparisons on individuals' self-concepts of ability is presented, followed by a brief overview of expectancy-value theory. The authors then discuss how dimensional comparisons can impact subjective task values but why the relations are weaker than for self-concepts of ability. They then describe how dimensional comparisons influence individuals' interpretations of their achievement outcomes and their affective reactions to those outcomes and conclude with suggestions for future research.
Educational Psychology Review, 2020
The authors connect Möller and Marsh's dimensional comparison theory with Eccles, Wigfield, and c... more The authors connect Möller and Marsh's dimensional comparison theory with Eccles, Wigfield, and colleagues' expectancy-value theory of achievement performance and choice, to help explain the observed relations between key constructs in expectancyvalue theory and their relations to individuals' achievement outcomes by specifying processes that underlie those relations. Dimensional comparison processes concern individuals' comparisons of their ability in one domain with their ability in another domain. The authors posit that these (along with social and temporal comparisons) play a critical role not just in the development of individuals' self-concepts of ability but also in the development of their subjective task values for different activities, and the connections of these to performance and choice. Dimensional comparison theory and the evidence for the strong impact of dimensional comparisons on individuals' self-concepts of ability is presented, followed by a brief overview of expectancy-value theory. The authors then discuss how dimensional comparisons can impact subjective task values but why the relations are weaker than for self-concepts of ability. They then describe how dimensional comparisons influence individuals' interpretations of their achievement outcomes and their affective reactions to those outcomes and conclude with suggestions for future research.
Child Development, 2019
Different cross‐domain trajectories in the development of students’ ability self‐concepts (ASCs) ... more Different cross‐domain trajectories in the development of students’ ability self‐concepts (ASCs) and their intrinsic valuing of math and language arts were examined in a cross‐sequential study spanning Grades 1 through 12 (n = 1,069). Growth mixture modeling analyses identified a Moderate Math Decline/Stable High Language Arts class and a Moderate Math Decline/Strong Language Arts Decline class for students’ ASC trajectories. Students’ intrinsic value trajectories included a Strong Math Decline/Language Arts Decline Leveling Off, a Moderate Math Decline/Strong Language Arts Decline, and a Stable Math and Language Arts Trajectories class. These classes differed with regard to student characteristics, including gender, family background, and math and reading aptitudes. They also resulted in different high school math course enrollments, career aspirations, and adult careers.
Child Development, 2019
Different cross‐domain trajectories in the development of students’ ability self‐concepts (ASCs) ... more Different cross‐domain trajectories in the development of students’ ability self‐concepts (ASCs) and their intrinsic valuing of math and language arts were examined in a cross‐sequential study spanning Grades 1 through 12 (n = 1,069). Growth mixture modeling analyses identified a Moderate Math Decline/Stable High Language Arts class and a Moderate Math Decline/Strong Language Arts Decline class for students’ ASC trajectories. Students’ intrinsic value trajectories included a Strong Math Decline/Language Arts Decline Leveling Off, a Moderate Math Decline/Strong Language Arts Decline, and a Stable Math and Language Arts Trajectories class. These classes differed with regard to student characteristics, including gender, family background, and math and reading aptitudes. They also resulted in different high school math course enrollments, career aspirations, and adult careers.
Educational Research and Evaluation, 2015
This study examines how student perceptions of teacher practices contribute to female high school... more This study examines how student perceptions of teacher practices contribute to female high school students' math beliefs and achievement. Guided by the expectancy-value framework, we hypothesized that students' motivation beliefs and achievement outcomes in mathematics are fostered by teachers' emphasis on the relevance of mathematics and constrained by gender-based differential treatment. To examine these questions, structural equation modeling was applied to a longitudinal panel of 518 female students from Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study (MADICS). While controlling for prior achievement and race, gendered differential treatment was negatively associated with math beliefs and achievement, while relevant math instruction was positively associated with these outcomes. These findings suggest inroads that may foster positive math motivational beliefs and achievement among young women.
Current Psychology
The saying-is-believing effect is an important step for changing students’ attitudes and beliefs ... more The saying-is-believing effect is an important step for changing students’ attitudes and beliefs in a wise intervention. However, most studies have not closely examined the process of the saying-is-believing effect when individuals are engaged in the activity. Using a qualitative approach, the present study uses an engagement framework to investigate (a) components of engagement in the saying-is-believing effect; and (b) how differently students may engage in a saying-is-believing exercise. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 undergraduates in a scholarship program for low-income transfer students from community college. Analysis using inductive and deductive approaches found that students varied on the extent to which they experienced the effectiveness of the saying-is-believing effect through affective, cognitive, and behavioral experiences. The study offers examples of how people can indeed differ in the extent to which they experience the saying-is-believing effect...
Motivation and Emotion
In college, students often encounter situations in which they struggle to meet their academic goa... more In college, students often encounter situations in which they struggle to meet their academic goals in difficult courses. We integrate the Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development and Situated Expectancy-Value Theory to investigate how motivational beliefs and experiences in a difficult course predict the use of goal engagement oriented and goal adjustment oriented control strategies that can help students stay engaged in challenging courses. We used survey data collected in two academic quarters at a public university in the U.S. (N = 231). Students who perceived their midterm exam as more difficult than expected and students with higher course-specific subjective task values reported using more goal engagement oriented and goal adjustment oriented control strategies. Students with higher course-specific ability beliefs were less likely to use goal adjustment strategies. Results further showed that students planned to use control strategies depending on their experienced setbac...
Handbook of Children and Prejudice, 2019
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2021
Individuals' math motivational beliefs are theorized to shape their STEM achievement and engageme... more Individuals' math motivational beliefs are theorized to shape their STEM achievement and engagement in high school and beyond. Combining situated expectancy-value theory and intersectionality framework, the goals of this study were to (a) identify the unique patterns of U.S. high school students' math motivational beliefs, (b) examine differences in the patterns based on the intersection of gender and race/ethnicity, and (c) test the extent to which these patterns predicted differences in students' math achievement and classroom behavioral engagement for each of the gender by racial/ethnic groups. The current study included 16,120 high schoolers (50% female; 63% White, 17% Latina/o, 11% Black, and 9% Asian Americans; Mage = 14.46 at Grade 9) from the High School Longitudinal Study. There were six unique patterns of students' math motivational beliefs: Overall High, Above Average but not Identified, Identified but Average Value, Average, Low Identity, and Overall Low. Pattern membership at the intersection of gender and race/ethnicity showed nuances that could not be represented by gender or race/ethnicity alone; for example, male and female Asian American adolescents had similar patterns, but many male and female adolescents of other racial/ethnic groups had different patterns. Adolescents' math motivational belief patterns were associated with their Grade 11 math achievement and behavioral engagement even after controlling for prior math achievement and family socioeconomic status, and the associated varied by the gender and racial/ethnic groups. ☆ This study is supported by National Science Foundation grant (DRL-1760757; "Family support of math and science: Examining an untapped source of resilience for diverse high school students") awarded to Simpkins, S. D.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2019
Her research focuses on how engagement and well-being develop within educational contexts and acr... more Her research focuses on how engagement and well-being develop within educational contexts and across educational transitions, during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 2018
A variable and person-centered approach was applied to understand the development of cross domain... more A variable and person-centered approach was applied to understand the development of cross domain selfconcepts of ability, patterns of math and English self-concepts of ability throughout adolescence, and their associations with college major. An expectancy-value perspective was integrated with dimensional comparison theory to understand how math and English self-concepts of ability relate to one another over time and within a person. Regression analysis identified a positive association of math self-concept throughout adolescence with math-related majors and a negative association of English self-concept with math-related majors. Cluster analysis classified students into six to seven patterns of varying math and English self-concepts of ability. Stereotypical gender differences were observed in cluster membership, with women overrepresented in high English clusters and males over represented in high math clusters. Cluster membership was predictive of the math-related college majors. Students who were higher in math self concept of ability relative to English were overrepresented in math intensive majors. Findings support the importance of considering intraindividual hierarchies and ipsative relationships when studying the development of self-concept of ability and academic choices.
Frontiers in psychology, 2018
Drawing on Eccles' expectancy-value model of achievement-related choices, we examined how wor... more Drawing on Eccles' expectancy-value model of achievement-related choices, we examined how work values predict individual and gender differences in sciences, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) participations in early adulthood (ages of 25/27, 6 or 8 years after postsecondary school), controlling for subjective task values attached to academic subjects in late adolescence (11th grade, age 18). The study examined 1,259 Finnish participants using a person-oriented approach. Results showed that: (a) we could identify four profile groups based on five core work values (society, family, monetary, career prospects, and working with people); (b) work-value profiles predicted young adults actual STEM participation in two fields: math-intensive and life science occupations above and beyond academic task values (e.g., math/science) and background information; (c) work-value profiles also differentiate between those who entered support- vs. professional-level STEM jobs; and (d) gender ...
PloS one, 2018
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have the potential to democratize education by providing lear... more Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have the potential to democratize education by providing learners with access to high-quality free online courses. However, evidence supporting this democratization across countries is limited. We explored the question of MOOC democratization by conducting cross-national comparisons of gender differences in the enrollment in and completion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) MOOCs. We found that while females were less likely than males to enroll in STEM MOOCs, they were equally likely to complete them. Further, a higher probability to enroll in STEM MOOCs and smaller gender gaps in STEM MOOC enrollment and completion were found in less gender-equal and less economically developed countries.
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2005
This study uses analytic techniques to test the hypothesis that role modeling, parents’ beliefs, ... more This study uses analytic techniques to test the hypothesis that role modeling, parents’ beliefs, and the provision of experiences for the child are related to children’s perceptions of sport competence, value, and participation. Mothers and fathers and their 2nd-, 3rd-, and 5th-grade children responded to questionnaires. These 3 cohorts of children were followed for 1 year. Mothers and fathers were gender stereotyped in their beliefs and practices. Regression analyses revealed that parents’ perceptions of their children’s ability had the strongest unique relationship with children’s beliefs and participation both concurrently and over time. The results of the pattern-centered analyses demonstrated that the full set of parent socialization factors had an additive positive association with children’s outcomes.
Journal of youth and adolescence, Aug 1, 2016
Students' motivational beliefs about learning physical science are critical for achieving pos... more Students' motivational beliefs about learning physical science are critical for achieving positive educational outcomes. In this study, we incorporated expectancy-value theory to capture the heterogeneity of adolescents' motivational trajectories in physics and chemistry from seventh to twelfth grade and linked these trajectories to science-related outcomes. We used a cross-sequential design based on three different cohorts of adolescents (N = 699; 51.5 % female; 95 % European American; M ages for youngest, middle, and oldest cohorts at the first wave = 13.2, 14.1, and 15.3 years) coming from ten public secondary schools. Although many studies claim that physical science motivation declines on average over time, we identified seven differential motivational trajectories of ability self-concept and task values, and found associations of these trajectories with science achievement, advanced science course taking, and science career aspirations. Adolescents' ability self-co...
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Papers by Jacquelynne Eccles