Do I want to study psychology and why? Can I succeed in blended learning? The perseverance and changes in success expectancies and the subjective task value of non-traditional Swiss students

Abstract

Non-traditional students in higher education have been increasing in numbers, and blended learning is considered a learning environment which often meets their special needs. However, dropout seems to be a major challenge. The goal of the current research was to investigate motivational beliefs in the framework of the expectancy–value model that might lead this population to persist in blended learning. Persistence intentions, as well as expectancies and perceived task value, were measured during the first semester of blended learning amongst non-traditional Swiss students. The results showed that intrinsic values, expectancies (competence-related beliefs), and two facets of cost played a role in predicting perseverance intentions. Moreover, subjective task value, as well as expectancy (competence-related beliefs), remained stable over time. These findings fill a gap in the existing literature by quantitatively investigating motivational beliefs of non-traditional students in blended learning and their short-term changes. The authors conclude with a discussion of these findings, their limitations, and their implications.