Eccles, Jacquelynne, and the Expectancy-Value Model of Achievement Choice

Expectancy-Value Theory: A Brief History

Expectancy-value models have a relatively long history in the achievement motivation field (see Wigfield & Eccles, 1992). Building on earlier work of Lewin and Tolman, Atkinson (1957) developed the first formal expectancy-value model in an attempt to explain different kinds of achievement-related behaviors, such as striving for success, choice among achievement tasks, and persistence. Atkinson (1957) postulated that achievement behaviors are determined by achievement motives, expectancies for success, and incentive values. Atkinson defined expectancies for success as the individual's expected probability for success on a specific task. He defined incentive value as the relative attractiveness of succeeding on a given achievement task and also stated that incentive value is inversely related to the probability for success. He and his colleagues compiled an extensive body of research on individuals' achievement strivings under different probabilities for success (see Atkinson, 1964; Wigfield & Eccles, 1992).

The Eccles et al. Expectancy-Value Model

Eccles and her colleagues' model was based in Atkinson's (1957) work, in that they link achievement performance, persistence, and choice most directly to individuals' expectancy-related beliefs and task values. However, the model differs from Atkinson's expectancy-value theory in important ways. First, both the expectancy and value components are defined in more elaborate ways and are linked to a broader array of psychological and social/cultural determinants. Second, the model has been tested in real-world achievement situations rather than with the laboratory tasks often used to test Atkinson's theory. Third, the model was initially developed to explain gender differences in children's choices of whether or not to continue to take mathematics courses in high school and beyond. Fourth, research stemming from the model has addressed the issue of how children's expectancies and values develop and how they are influenced by experiences in the home and at school.

Eccles et al. (1983) presented the first formal statement of this model, a recent version of which is presented in Figure 1. As can be seen, children's expectancies and values are assumed to have the most direct effects on their performance, persistence, and choice of achievement tasks. Expectancies and values themselves are influenced by children's task-specific beliefs, which are perceptions of competence and perceptions of the difficulty of different tasks and their goals. These variables are, in turn, influenced by children's perceptions of parents' and teachers' attitudes and expectations, and their interpretations of previous achievement outcomes. Socializers' behaviors and beliefs about their children influence children's perceptions as well as their interpretations of their past outcomes. The overall cultural milieu and unique historical events directly influence socializers' behaviors and beliefs, and children's own beliefs.

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