The Value of Expecting Success

Expectancy-value theorists propose that people's choices, persistence and performance are explained by their self-efficacy for, and valuing of, an activity (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000). Value components can include interest; relevance to emotional goals (such as having fun); usefulness and importance for future goals (such as further education or employment); and cost (such as the amount of effort involved or impacts upon family members (Eccles, Barber, Updegraff, & O'Brien, 1998).

The expectancy component of expectancy-value theory was described by Wigfield and Eccles (2000) as a combination of (present) perceived ability and (future) expectancy for success. Wigfield and Eccles proposed that these two concepts are theoretically distinct but closely related in empirical research studies. Together they appear to form the concept of self-efficacy. Expectancy-value theory predicts that your perceived values for activities are going to be counterbalanced by your expectancies for success.

Feather (1982) proposed that expectancy-value theory may be particularly applicable to behaviours that involve some degree of freedom of choice. New learning may be considered to be behaviour of choice. For example, a teacher might value personal and professional development as being useful for present and future employment, but hold poor self-efficacy for it and thus choose not to pursue it. Therefore, engaging people with new learning opportunities requires: 1) building people's positive conceptions of their own abilities, 2) building their expectancies of future success, and 3) clarifying their perceptions of value of the proposed activities.

Comment
Working in education requires people to constantly change their ways of working and some of the materials and processes they use. Constant change can affect a person's mental health and wellbeing. People need to understand that change in their work may impact on their values and their expected successful outcomes from such change. Thinking about the possible issues honestly and proactively as an individual, taking steps to build personal confidence deliberately and choosing to be clear about what will be valuable for you in the workplace if this change happens are useful ways to manage change and retain your mental health and wellbeing.

References
Eccles, J. S., Barber, B. L., Updegraff, K., & O'Brien, K. M. (1998). 'An expectancy-value model of achievement choices: The role of ability self-concepts, perceived task utility and interest in predicting activity choice and course enrollment.' In L. Hoffmann, A. Krapp, K. A. Renninger, & J. Baumert (Eds.), Interest and learning: Proceedings of the Seeon Conference on Interest and Gender (pp. 267-279): Institute for Science Education at the University of Kiel; IPN.

Feather, N. T. (1982). 'Expectancy-value approaches: Present status and future directions.' In N. T. Feather (Ed.), Expectations and actions: Expectancy-value models in psychology (pp. 395-420). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Wigfield, A. & Eccles, J. S. (2000). 'Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation.' Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 68-81.