Teaching Quality: Relationships between Students’ Motivation, Effort Regulation, Future Interest, and Connection Frequency

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teaching quality and students’ expectancy-value motivation, effort-regulation, future interest, and connection frequency in mathematics in 1,113 high school students. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling, and findings showed support for the hypotheses tested. First, we found that teaching quality – specifically, teaching for relevance, acknowledge negative feelings, participation encouragement, using a non-controlling language, provide optimal challenge, focus on the process, structure the class, provide positive feedback, and caring – predicted students’ expectancy-value motivation. Second, students’ connection frequency, effort, and future interest in math were predicted, at individual and class level, by students’ task-expectancy motivation. Third, students’ connection frequency, effort, and future interest were predicted, at individual and class level, by their task-value in math. Finally, findings were discussed in terms of their applications for educational practice and methodological suggestions for future research.

Keywords

• mathematics
• expectancy-value theory
• teaching quality
• interest
• connection frequency
• effort-regulation