Life Science Majors' Math-Biology Task Values Relate to Student Characteristics and Predict the Likelihood of Taking Quantitative Biology Courses.

ABSTRACT: Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation predicts that students' task values, which include their interest in and enjoyment of a task, their perceptions of the usefulness of a task (utility value), and their perceptions of the costs of engaging in the task (e.g., extra effort, anxiety), influence their achievement and academic-related choices. Further, these task values are theorized to be informed by students' sociocultural background. Although biology students are often considered to be math-averse, there is little empirical evidence of students' values of mathematics in the context of biology (math-biology task values). To fill this gap in knowledge, we sought to determine 1) life science majors' math-biology task values, 2) how math-biology task values differ according to stud

SUBMITTER: Andrews SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6067041 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature