Abstract
The authors assessed the dimensionality of and relations between adolescents' achievement-related beliefs and self perceptions, focusing on subjective valuing of achievement. Beliefs derived from expectancy-value theory (adolescents' valuing of achievement activities, expectancies for success and ability perceptions, and perceptions of task difficulty) were assessed. Adolescents completed questionnaires once a year for 2 years. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that achievement-related beliefs separate into three task values factors (interest, perceived importance, and perceived utility), one expectancy/ability factor (comprising beliefs about one's competence, expectancies for success, and performance perceptions), and two task difficulty factors (perceptions of difficulty and perceptions of effort required to do well). Task values and ability perceptions factors were positively related to each other and negatively correlated to perceptions of task difficulty.
Keywords
PsychologyExpectancy theoryPerceptionSocial psychologyCompetence (human resources)Task (project management)Confirmatory factor analysisNeed for achievementDevelopmental psychologyValue (mathematics)Structural equation modeling
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Publication Info
- Year
- 1995
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 215-225
- Citations
- 1587
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Jacquelynne S. Eccles,
Allan Wigfield
(1995).
In the Mind of the Actor: The Structure of Adolescents' Achievement Task Values and Expectancy-Related Beliefs.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
, 21
(3)
, 215-225.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167295213003
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1177/0146167295213003