Expectancy Value Theory Essay

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The Implication of the Findings
Having known that adults are supposed to be self-directed, internally motivated and goal-oriented in the learning process, it is believed that Expectancy-Value Theory proposed by Wigfiled and his colleagues might be fruitful in explaining adults’ learning motivation in this case study.
a) Expectancy-Value Theory
Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) as one of the influential motivation theories has a long history in Education and Psychology. This theory claims that “individuals’ performance on different activities will be influenced by what an individual expects and how much the individual values the things that are expected” (Wigfield et al., 2011, p.10). This means that expectancies and values are supposed to be …show more content…

As Wlodkowski (2008) contends, most people show consistency throughout adulthood. Traits, habits, modes of thinking, and the ways by which people cope and interact remain stable through old age. In other words, motivations seems stabilize in adult learning which may lead to future participation in education (Gorges & Kandler, 2011). In order to see their values on learning, classifying the four beliefs suggested by Wigfield et al. (2011) is required. Firstly, the attainment value which refers to the importance of activity could be seen from students rational in taking English course. Secondly, the intrinsic value which refers to the enjoyment in doing the activity could be seen on how they respond to the task given by the teacher and their engagement in the classroom activities. Thirdly, utility value which refers to the usefulness of activity for the future can also be seen from their reasons why taking this course. It is assumed that some of them might want to take a higher degree in education, while others want advance in their job. Finally, cost value which refers to effort to finish the activity could be seen from their commitment in learning. Attending class on time is an evidence that they value this English …show more content…

It provides a real opportunity for genuine communication. It also helps building students’ comprehension on a text. In the daily life, we can tell people about a news article we have read, so this is a classroom activity that is fairly authentic.
2. Self-Directed Learning (SDL)
Self-directed or independent learning is a strategy which focuses on giving responsibility for students in their own learning. McInerney et al. (2015) state that this strategy is likely well-suited to teach adult learners since adults are autonomous learners. The example of applying this strategy in learning is by giving a project to students that lasts over several days and this is largely unsupervised. This is often employed by university lecturers when they give assignments to their students.
Before applying this strategy, the teacher have to concern that assistance could be given in ensuring that resources to support the project are available. Also, the teacher can facilitate the process by providing explicit directions so that the students will not get some confusion during the

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