Use the following to see how expectancy theory explains differences in student motivation.

a. In a small group, discuss the most important outcome that you want to achieve in this class (it may or may not be a letter grade). Have each person indicate how valuable that outcome is by using a scale from 1 = “not at all desirable” to 10 = “extremely desirable.”

b. Ask a group member to describe the most important outcome; then ask that person to describe how strong that motivation is compared with the other goals for this term (use a scale of 1 = “not at all motivated”

to 10 = “extremely motivated”).

c. Ask that same person to describe the things that must be done (performance level) to achieve that outcome.

d. Ask the person to indicate the Expectancy 1 level (the belief that she will reach the performance level). Then ask the person to describe Expectancy 2 (the likelihood that successful performance will result in the outcome). Use probabilities

(e.g., 1 = “very unlikely,” .5 = “50%

chance of happening,” and .9 = “very likely”) to reflect expectancies.

e. Now examine the expectancy linkages to see how well they conform to the person’s level of motivation. Discuss any discrepancies and why they exist.