Jacquelynne Sue Eccles

In higher education, understanding motivational processes underlying student success is crucial for designing effective learning environments. Grounded in Situated Expectancy-Value Theory, this study examined how perceived instructional quality relates to academic achievement and whether these relations involve indirect links through subjective task values. We examined whether these relations differ between difficult and important courses. The sample consisted of 389 U.S. college students (70% female). Latent change score models revealed that in both course contexts, higher perceived instructional quality was associated with higher initial levels of subjective task values. Initial subjective task values were positively related to achievement and formed significant indirect pathways linking instructional quality and achievement. Changes in subjective task values did not mediate these relations. While the pattern of findings was largely comparable across course contexts, some descriptive differences emerged, pointing to context-specific nuances in how instructional quality related to subjective task values. These findings highlight the importance of instructional quality for students’ motivation across learning contexts in higher education.

The developmental processes underlying in-group-favoring math stereotypes (i.e., beliefs that favor one's own gender over another gender in math ability) and their associated motivational benefits in adolescence remain understudied. Guided by developmental intergroup theory and situated expectancy-value theory, the present study examined (a) the reciprocal relations between in-group-favoring math stereotypes and perceived math teacher support; (b) their associations with math motivational outcomes (i.e., math expectancies, math identity, and math grade point average); and (c) gender differences in these associations among adolescents within each of four largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States (i.e., Asian, Black, Latine, and White). Using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (N = 18,419; M_age = 14.53, SD = 0.63 in nineth grade), we found that Asian and White girls' female-favoring math stereotypes and their perceived math teacher support reinforced one another from early to late adolescence, but not among other groups. In-group-favoring math stereotypes positively predicted math motivational beliefs among boys across all racial/ethnic groups, but only among Black and White girls. These stereotypes indirectly predicted math grade point average (GPA) via motivational beliefs only for White adolescents. Findings suggest that gender differences in the development of in-group-favoring math stereotypes and the benefits of stereotype lift are not the same across race/ethnicity. Rather, gender norms that vary across different racial/ethnic groups may shape who develops and benefits from in-group-favoring math stereotypes, underscoring the need to consider intersectionality to better capture motivational processes in real-world contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Parents’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) support is theorized to influence adolescents’ choices to pursue STEM majors and careers (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020). Theory posits that parents’ STEM support is situated within the immediate contexts and, thus, is shaped by both parents’ beliefs about education and STEM as well as adolescents’ achievements and interests (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020), but the current empirical evidence testing these theoretical tenets remains limited. Using data from the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS; n = 12,070; M _age = 14.37; 50% female adolescents; 57% White, 16% Latine, 10% Black, 8% Asian, and 10% other ethnic adolescents), this paper examined two parent-level factors (i.e., parents’ educational expectations for adolescents and their math/science parenting self-efficacy) and two adolescent-level factors (i.e., adolescents’ math/science interests and math achievement) to understand what predicts parents’ STEM support in 11th grade, controlling for parents’ STEM support in 9th grade. In addition, we examined the extent to which parents’ STEM support in 11th grade predicted adolescents’ STEM college major, controlling for other major predictors. Parents’ math/science parenting self-efficacy beliefs positively predicted the relative changes in parents’ STEM support from 9th to 11th grade, which positively predicted adolescents’ STEM college major. Additionally, the parents of female and male continuing-generation college students provided more STEM support and had higher educational expectations for their adolescents than parents of first-generation college students. This study provides insights for policymakers and practitioners to focus on the potential precursors of parental socialization of STEM choices during high school and college.

Motivation has long been recognised as a key factor in students’ learning, achievement, and engagement in mathematics. In this systematic review, we examine how a situative perspective on motivation has been conceptualised, theorised, and operationalised in recent research on learning and instruction in mathematics. Specifically, we analyse the ways in which situatedness is recognised and captured across studies positioned across major motivational frameworks (i.e., expectancy-value, interest, self-determination, achievement goal, and social-cognitive theory), and the methodological approaches employed (i.e., participants, analytical methods, data sources, and measures) until the first half of 2025. Our review identifies 76 studies that focus on situatedness in the motivation for learning mathematics, the majority of which are empirical, quantitative, and employ variable-centred approaches. Across the motivational theoretical frameworks, situated expectancy-value theory is the most prevalent and survey methods dominate. Although all studies recognise the importance of situatedness or examine situatedness in research, its temporal and contextual aspects are addressed mostly separately, with micro- (e.g., activities) and mezzo-levels (e.g., classroom) dominating the contextual perspective. This systematic review advances motivational research by highlighting key aspects of situatedness in recent studies of motivation, examining its role in research on motivation, and suggesting future directions for research on learning mathematics. Following the presentation of findings and discussion, we also highlighted contributions to this special issue.

Background: Student ratings are commonly used to evaluate classroom processes. Research suggests that these ratings are not solely based on objective situational characteristics but also reflect rater characteristics. Although research has been conducted in K‐12 settings, little is known about how person‐specific and situation‐specific factors affect student ratings in higher education. Aims: This study investigates to what extent students’ ratings on instructional quality (INQ) vary in response to various data collection across teaching situations. In this way, we also investigate the role of motivational beliefs in these ratings. Sample: The study uses data from 1,745 undergraduates (26.5% self‐identified as male students) from a university in California, U.S.A. Methods: We employed single trait‐multistate models (STMS) to decompose INQ variance (classroom management, student support, cognitive activation). We estimate the consistency and situation specificity of ratings across courses, time, and course type. Also, we estimated correlations between motivational beliefs and the consistent component across ratings, i.e., the person effect. Results: High consistency in student ratings of INQ was found within the same course over time. This consistency was lower when INQ was rated across different courses. The consistency was higher in courses that students perceived as difficult than to courses that were perceived as important. Students who reported higher expectancies for success and interest value in these courses also rated INQ more positive across teaching situations. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that student ratings of INQ are situated and shaped by course characteristics but also rater characteristics. Motivational beliefs contribute uniquely to students’ INQ ratings beyond situational characteristics.

Background: Social support is assumed to play a key role in motivation at university, particularly for disadvantaged students, such as first‐generation and community college transfer students. However, longitudinal research investigating reciprocal associations between social support and motivation is lacking. Aims: We examined such associations between confidence in getting support from faculty and peers and students' expectancies and subjective task values in their most difficult and most important course. Sample: Data stemmed from two cohorts of undergraduate students ( n = 320/417 in Fall 2019/2020) at a diverse Southern Californian university. Methods: Students reported on their confidence in getting support and their expectancies and subjective task values at the beginning, in the middle and (only for motivation) at the end of the academic term. Results: Results indicated no differences in confidence in getting support based on university generation or transfer student status. Cross‐lagged panel models provided some evidence for reciprocal associations between students' confidence in getting support and their expectancies and subjective task values. Findings were similar across the Fall 2019 and Fall 2020 cohorts, providing support for the generalizability across in‐person vs. remote learning settings. Longitudinal associations tended to be stronger for first‐generation and transfer students. Conclusions: Future research should, therefore, examine whether university programmes targeting social support are especially effective for disadvantaged students.

In agricultural education, students often possess the technical ability to succeed but choose to disengage when the material becomes challenging. According to Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT), a framework developed by Jacquelynne Eccles and colleagues, student motivation is not a static trait but a dynamic process driven by two primary factors: expectancy for success (Can I do this?) and subjective task value (Is it worth my time?). Although educators are skilled at teaching the “how” of agriculture, students frequently struggle with the “why”. When students do not see the immediate relevance of a lesson, the perceived cost (the effort, time, and emotional energy required) begins to outweigh the perceived benefits. To combat this, instructors must move beyond simple knowledge transmission and actively help students construct utility value (usefulness for future goals) and attainment value (relevance to personal identity). This teaching tip provides a structured “Utility-Value Reflection” strategy to help students bridge the gap between abstract classroom concepts and their future professional aspirations.

Although in basic agreement with Murayama and Jach's call for greater attention to the black boxes underlying motivated behavior, we provide examples of our published suggestions regarding how subjective task value (and ability self-concepts) “gets into people's knowledge structures.” We suggest additional mental computational processes to investigate and call for a developmental and situated individual differences approach to this work.