Young Adult Learners: Meeting Expectations and Finding Value

Abstract

This paper draws on a National Science Foundation-funded project that engages students in a combination of relevant content learning and project-based investigations that enable them to experience science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) content in relation to the world around them. Using the Expectancy Value theoretical framework (Eccles, 2002), we examine the ways in which students' values of science and expectancies for success contribute to levels of engagement in the program. Through a case study approach, we use an equity-oriented analytical lens to examine the interaction between students' motivation and expectations for success and the approach to equity in the learning environment. We present three cases to illustrate the ways in which alignment (or misalignment) can impact students' level of engagement. Findings contribute to greater understanding of how to design learning experiences that tap into students' values of science and success thereby increasing engagement.