Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025-11
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
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.
AtkinsonJ. W. (1957). Motivational determinants of risk-taking behavior. Psychological Review, 64, Part 1(6), 359–372. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0043445
2.
BabbS. J.RufinoK. A.JohnsonR. M. (2022). Assessing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nontraditional students’ mental health and well-being. Adult Education Quarterly, 72(2), 140–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/07417136211027508
3.
BailensonJ. N. (2021). Nonverbal overload: A theoretical argument for the causes of Zoom fatigue. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000030
4.
BarronK.HullemanC. (2015). Expectancy-value-cost model of motivation. In EcclesJ. S.Salemo-AroK. (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences: Motivational psychology (2nd ed., pp. 503–509). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.26099-6
5.
BeanJ. P.MetznerB. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55(4), 485–540. https://doi.org/10.2307/1170245
6.
BendenD. K.LauermannF. (2022). Students’ motivational trajectories and academic success in math-intensive study programs: Why short-term motivational assessments matter. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(5), 1062–1085. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000708
7.
BenetosK.GagnièreL. (2018). Understanding student paths in higher education blended-learning: Beyond success and dropout. OOFHEC2018: The online, open and flexible higher education Conference.
8.
BeymerP. N.RosenzweigE. Q. (2023). Predictors of short-term trajectories of students’ expectancy-value motivational beliefs in introductory calculus courses. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 75(1), 102236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2023.102236
9.
BondM.BedenlierS.MarínV. I.HändelM. (2021). Emergency remote teaching in higher education: Mapping the first global online semester. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00282-x
10.
BoudrenghienG.FrenayM.BourgeoisÉ. (2013). La transition de l’enseignement secondaire vers l’enseignement supérieur: Rôle des représentations et motivations de l’étudiant à l’égard de son projet de formation [Transition from secondary to higher education: Role of students’ representations and motivations towards their educational project]. In NeuvilleS.FrenayM.NoëlB.WertzV. (Eds.), Persévérer et réussir à l’Université (pp. 55–81). Presse universitaire de Louvain.
11.
BourgeoisÉ.De VironF.NilsF.TraversaJ.VertongenG. (2009). Valeur, espérance de réussite, et formation d’adultes: Pertinence du modèle d’expectancy-value en contexte de formation universitaire pour adultes [Relevance of expectancy-value in adult continuing education]. Savoirs, 20(2), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.3917/savo.020.0119
12.
ChartrandJ. M. (1992). An empirical test of a model of nontraditional student adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 39(2), 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.39.2.193
13.
ChiuC.-M.WangE. (2008). Understanding Web-based learning continuance intention: The role of subjective task value. Information & Management, 45(3), 194–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2008.02.003
14.
DeciE. L.RyanR. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum Press.
15.
De ClercqM.DangoisseF.FrenayM.RolandN. (Eds.). (2023). La transition vers l’enseignement supérieur [Transition towards higher education]. Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/b20782
16.
De PaepeL.ZhuC.DePryckK. (2018). Drop-out, retention, satisfaction and attainment of online learners of Dutch in adult education. International Journal on E-Learning, 17(3), 303–323. https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/174173/.
17.
DeschachtN.GoemanK. (2015). The effect of blended learning on course persistence and performance of adult learners: A difference-in-differences analysis. Computers & Education, 87(7), 83–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.020
18.
DietrichJ.MoellerJ.GuoJ.ViljarantaJ.KrackeB. (2019). In-the-moment profiles of expectancies, task values, and costs. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(1), 1662. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01662
19.
EcclesJ. S. (2005). Subjective task value and the Eccles et al. model of achievement-related choices. In ElliotA. J.DweckC. S. (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation (pp. 105–121). Guilford Publications.
20.
EcclesJ. S.AdlerT. F.FuttermanR.GoffS. B.KaczalaC. M.MeeceJ. L.MidgleyC. (1983). Expectancies, values, and academic behaviors. In SpenceJ. T. (Ed.), Achievement and achievement motives: Psychological and sociological approaches (pp. 7–74). W.H. Freeman and Company.
21.
EcclesJ. S.WigfieldA. (1995). In the mind of the actor: The structure of adolescents’ achievement task values and expectancy-related beliefs. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21(3), 215–225. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167295213003
22.
EcclesJ. S.WigfieldA. (2020). From expectancy-value theory to situated expectancy-value theory: A developmental, social cognitive, and sociocultural perspective on motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61(7), 101859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101859
FishbeinM.AjzenI. (2015). Predicting and changing behavior: The reasoned action approach.Routledge.
27.
FlakeJ. K.BarronK. E.HullemanC.McCoachB. D.WelshM. E. (2015). Measuring cost: The forgotten component of expectancy-value theory. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41(3), 232–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2015.03.002
28.
FrenayM.NeuvilleS.NoëlB. (2013). Introduction. In NeuvilleS.FrenayM.NoëlB.WertzV. (Eds.), Persévérer et réussir à l’Université (pp. 11–15). Presses Universitaires de Louvain.
29.
FrenzelA. C.DindarM.PekrunR.ReckC.MarxA. K. G. (2024). Joy is reciprocally transmitted between teachers and students: Evidence on facial mimicry in the classroom. Learning and Instruction, 91(3), 101896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101896
30.
FrenzelA. C.GoetzT.LüdtkeO.PekrunR.SuttonR. E. (2009). Emotional transmission in the classroom: Exploring the relationship between teacher and student enjoyment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(3), 705–716. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014695
31.
GarciaA.AbregoJ.CalvilloM. M. (2014). A Study of the hybrid instructional delivery for graduate students in an educational leadership course. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education, 29(1), 7. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/152976/
32.
GarrisonD. R.KanukaH. (2004). Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 7(2), 95–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2004.02.001
33.
González-GómezD.JeongJ. S.Airado RodríguezD.Cañada-CañadaF. (2016). Performance and perception in the flipped learning model: An initial approach to evaluate the effectiveness of a new teaching methodology in a general science classroom. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 25(3), 450–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9605-9
34.
GorgesJ. (2016). Why adults learn: Interpreting adults’ reasons to participate in education in terms of Eccles’ subjective task value. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 3(1), 26–41. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/276292819.pdf.
35.
GrahamC.WoodfieldW.HarrisonJ. B. (2013). A framework for institutional adoption and implementation of blended learning in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 18(7), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2012.09.003
HullemanC. S.GodesO.HendricksB. L.HarackiewiczJ. M. (2010). Enhancing interest and performance with a utility value intervention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(4), 880–895. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019506
39.
HullemanC. S.HarackiewiczJ. M. (2009). Promoting interest and performance in high school science classes. Science, 326(5958), 1410–1412. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1177067
40.
HullemanC. S.HarackiewiczJ. M. (2021). The utility-value intervention. In WaltonG. M.CrumA. J. (Eds.), Handbook of wise interventions: How social psychology can help people change (pp. 100–125). The Guilford Press.
41.
JiangY.RosenzweigE. Q.GaspardH. (2018). An expectancy-value-cost approach in predicting adolescent students’ academic motivation and achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 54(6), 139–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2018.06.005
42.
KaswormC. E.PikeG. R. (1994). Adult undergraduate students: Evaluating the appropriateness of a traditional model of academic performance. Research in Higher Education, 35(6), 689–710. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02497082
43.
KentnorH. (2015). Distance education and the evolution of online learning in the United States. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 17(1 & 2), 9. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=2643748
44.
KosovichJ. J.FlakeJ. K.HullemanC. S. (2017). Short-term motivation trajectories: A parallel process model of expectancy-value. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 49(1), 130–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2017.01.004
45.
MarkleG. (2015). Factors influencing persistence among nontraditional university students. Adult Education Quarterly, 65(3), 267–285. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713615583085
46.
McKennaK.GuptaK.KaiserL.LopesT.ZarestkyJ. (2020). Blended learning: Balancing the best of both worlds for adult learners. Adult Learning, 31(4), 139–149. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159519891997
47.
MeenenF. V.ClercqM. D.VironF. d.FrenayM. (2021). Les obstacles académiques à l’ascension vers la réussite : une approche mixte du vécu des étudiants classiques et apprenants adultes. L’Orientation Scolaire et Professionnelle, 50/2(4), 231–261. https://doi.org/10.4000/osp.14095
48.
NeuvilleS.FrenayM. (2012). La persévérance des étudiants de 1er baccalauréat à la lumière du modèle expectancy-value [Persistence of first-year bachelor students in expectancy-value framework]. In RomainvilleM. (Ed.), Réussite, échec et abandon dans l’enseignement supérieur (pp. 157–175). De Boeck Supérieur. https://doi.org/10.3917/dbu.romai.2012.01.0159
Padilla-CarmonaM. T.StănescuD. F.González-MonteagudoJ. (2017). The risk of being ‘excluded’: Non-traditional, disadvantaged, and underachieving students. In FredaM. F.González-MonteagudoJ.EspositoG. (Eds.), Working with underachieving students in higher education: Fostering inclusion through narration and reflexivity. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
51.
RemenickL. (2019). Services and support for nontraditional students in higher education: A historical literature review. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 25(1), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477971419842880
52.
RiedlR. (2022). On the stress potential of videoconferencing: Definition and root causes of Zoom fatigue. Electronic Markets, 32(1), 153–177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-021-00501-3
53.
RosenzweigE. Q.WigfieldA.EcclesJ. S. (2022). Beyond utility value interventions: The why, when, and how for next steps in expectancy-value intervention research. Educational Psychologist, 57(1), 11–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2021.1984242
SimpsonO. (2013). Student retention in distance education: Are we failing our students?Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 28(2), 105–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2013.847363
56.
SinghV.ThurmanA. (2019). How many ways can we define online learning? A systematic literature review of definitions of online learning (1988-2018). American Journal of Distance Education, 33(4), 289–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2019.1663082
57.
SoidetI.RaussinJ. (2017). L’expérience étudiante de la transition: Adultes en reprise d’études versus jeunes bacheliers [The student’s experience of transition: Adults undertaking a university program versus young bachelor graduates]. Psychologie du Travail et des Organisations, 23(3), 236–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pto.2017.06.001
58.
SpenceJ. T.HelmreichR. L. (1983). Achievement-related motives and behavior. In SpenceJ. T. (Ed.), Achievement and achievement motives: Psychological and sociological approaches (pp. 7–74).
59.
TorresJ. B.SolbergV. S. (2001). Role of self-efficacy, stress, social integration, and family support in latino college student persistence and health. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 59(1), 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2000.1785
60.
VanslambrouckS.ZhuC.LombaertsK.PhilipsenB.TondeurJ. (2018). Students’ motivation and subjective task value of participating in online and blended learning environments. The Internet and Higher Education, 36(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.09.002
61.
WhitelockD.JelfsA. (2003). Editorial: Journal of educational media special issue on blended learning. Journal of Educational Media, 28(2–3), 99–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/1358165032000177407
62.
WigfieldA. (1994). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation: A developmental perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 6(1), 49–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02209024
63.
WigfieldA.EcclesJ. S. (2000). Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 68–81. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1015
64.
WigfieldA.EcclesJ. S.FredricksJ. A.SimpkinsS.RoeserR. W.SchiefeleU. (2015). Development of achievement motivation and engagement. In LernerR. M. (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science (pp. 1–44). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118963418.childpsy316
65.
WigfieldA.EcclesJ. S.YoonK. S.HaroldR. D.ArbretonA. J. A.Freedman-DoanC.BlumenfeldP. C. (1997). Change in children’s competence beliefs and subjective task values across the elementary school years: A 3-year study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(3), 451–469. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.89.3.451
66.
Wilson Van VoorhisC. R.MorganB. L. (2007). Understanding power and rules of thumb for determining sample sizes. Tutorials in Quantitative Methods for Psychology, 3(2), 43–50. https://doi.org/10.20982/tqmp.03.2.p043
