An expectancy-value perspective of civic education motivation, learning and desirable outcomes

Abstract

The present study assessed the mediating role of expectancy for success and value beliefs in civic education in linking socio-academic factors (gender, ethnicity, school level and prior achievement) to desirable civic attributes. The sample comprised 1664 students in their Year-7–Year-12 (mean age = 14.79, range = 12–18). Structural equation modelling showed that, relative to expectancy belief, value belief emerged as a stronger predictor and its effects were more generalised across outcomes (society-oriented future goal, civic efficacy, patriotism, awareness of good citizenship and perceived functions of education/school in fostering civic qualities) – the finding that generalised across key student groupings. Further, ethnic minority students and older students were found to have less favourable valuing of civic education and less positive profiles of civic attributes. Taken together, findings hold important theoretical and applied implications for researchers and practitioners seeking to enhance students’ civic education motivation, learning and desirable outcomes.

Keywords:

• expectancy
• value
• beliefs
• civic education
• citizenship
• patriotism
• future goal

Notes

1.As all the models in the present study were estimated using an maximum likelihood with robustness of non-independence observation (MLR) method, all comparisons of χ² difference of nested models were conducted using the Sattora-Bentler scaled χ² difference formula that takes into account scaling correction factors of the models (see Byrne, 2012 and Mplus website at http://www.statmodel.com).

2.The above analyses have focused on the joint or relative contribution of expectancy and value beliefs on outcomes. For completeness, we also examined unique contributions of expectancy and value beliefs by separately entering each of these EVT components as a predictor of outcomes (while also controlling for the effects of socio-academic factors). In the expectancy model, expectancy belief significantly predicted society-oriented and family-oriented future goals (β = .12 and β = .13, respectively), perceptions of the instrumentality of schooling to community work (β = .12) and national loyalty (β = .10), as well as each of the civic capital dimensions, conceptions of good citizens (β = .12), civic efficacy (β = .16) and patriotism (β = .11). In the value model, value belief had significant effects on society-oriented (β = .23) and wealth-oriented (β = −.11) future goals, all the content-specific perceptions of the instrumentality of schooling (community work, β = .33; national loyalty, β = .36; social welfare, β = .23; understanding media, β = .19; understanding politics, β = .24; and persistence, β = .22), and all the three dimensions of civic capital (conceptions of good citizens, β = .28; civic efficacy, β = .27; and patriotism, β = .39). These findings suggest that, when considered separately, expectancy belief appeared to play a relatively more salient role and its effects were relatively more generalised across outcomes than when it was considered as joint predictors alongside value belief – this was so even after effects of background factors were controlled. However, when expectancy and value beliefs were considered simultaneously in a single predictive model, value belief exerted more dominant and more generalised effects on outcomes than did expectancy belief.

3.Cohen’s d reflects an effect size, that is, a measure of the size of the difference in means between two groups. Effect sizes at around d = .20 are considered small, those around d = .50 are considered moderate, and those around d = .80 are considered large (Cohen, 1988).