Tris wipes the sweat from her brow.
She looks around her as her teammates start to cheer. Is she dreaming or did
she just pass the final round of training?
Expectancy-Value theory represents
three components, expectancy, value, and motivation (Reeve, 2008). A person is motivated to act on a
goal because they expect a valuable future. If their expectancy for the goal is
too low, their motivation decreases. Tris is highly motivated and expectant to
pass her training and start her new life in the Dauntless faction.
Value components in the
expectancy-value theory include interests, reasons, goals, utility, and cost (Reeve, 2008). These factors drive the person’s
motivation to continue in their goals. If the value is too low, the motivation
decreases. In this character expose, I describe and explain three of the five
components: reason, goals, and cost of value in Tris’ motivation.
Goal
Tris finds out that she is superior
at the computer simulation training sessions to her peers. That gives her
that extra leverage of confidence in her goals. Now if only she could master more physical training sessions, like fighting!
The goal is a type of value in the
expectancy-value theory (Reeve,
2008). Goals characteristically
attribute to achievement goals, future goals, and mastery of a subject. The achievement
goal theory means that a person attempts to obtain direction, meaning, and
purpose for their goal. Goals direct the focus and energy of actions.
Tris’ initial goal is to pass her
training, but when she finds out she has the lowest score on the scoreboard,
she changes her long-term goal to short-term. Her new goal is to pass a
threshold to qualify for passing the training. Tris uses achievement goals
to direct her and give meaning and purpose to her goals (Reeve, 2008). As Tris slowly works her way up
the scoreboard, her achievements influence her goal striving. She is
improving!
Cost
Cost is a second value component (Reeve, 2008). Cost is the time, effort, and
identity put into a goal. The expectation is a return of benefits from the
effort put into the goal.
Tris gives up her family, and her
previous identity, and commits her future to her new role as a member of the Dauntless
faction. She spends every moment of her waking life trying to pass her initial stage
of training. Tris experiences poor peer support after she loses some fights,
damaging her self-presentation (Reeve, 2008). Seeking feedback from her mentor, she continues to spend
time and effort on her goal-striving. However, Tris is impatient and worried
she cannot improve before the training deadline. The cost is almost too high
for her. Thankfully, benefits from her costs appear towards the end of her
training, and Tris becomes more motivated to continue as she sees an
improvement in her performance.
Reason
Reason is the third value component (Reeve, 2008). This component answers the reasons
for goal-striving. The reason value component corresponds with self-determination---last
week’s blog---with extrinsic and intrinsic reasons, identified reasons and
introjected reasons for goal striving.
At the beginning of her training,
Tris experiences some guilt over not being confident about her test results.
This introjected reason influences her to pass her training since the cost of
failure would mean death (Reeve, 2008).
Over time, Tris passes difficult
training obstacles, and she experiences enjoyment over her accomplishments.
Tris continues to push herself towards the final goal: passing her training. Over
time, she experiences positive feedback, rewards, and enjoyment, which further
influence her reasons for not giving up.
Expectancy-Value: 3 Constructs
Three constructs help determine the
motivation of expectancy-value theory: accomplishment, measurement, and avoid
vs. approach (Reeve,
2008). The accomplishment
component is the goal of what a person is trying to achieve. The measurement component
is the standard that measures the goals. The “avoid vs. approach” component
determines whether the person approaches or avoids goals.
Tris’ accomplishments appear not a
moment too soon, as she barely passes her initial stage of training. According
to the high stakes scoring system in Dauntless, Tris is not the highest scoring
trainee. She must continue pushing herself if she wants to improve.
Tris uses a combination of these components in the expectancy-value theory (Reeve, 2008). At first, Tris’ goal is a performance approach. She wishes to perform better than her peers. For one of her training sessions, her goal changes to performance-avoidance: she cannot afford to be the last person on the scoreboard! After Tris improves in her skills, she changes her goal-striving to a mastery approach, where she wishes to master her computer simulation skills.
References
Reeve, J. (2008). Understanding Motivation and Emotion. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
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