Associations between adolescent students' multiple domain task value-cost profiles and STEM aspirations.

According to the modern expectancy-value theory, students' task values may differ across domains, manifesting as varying motivational patterns. In middle school, students' motivation becomes increasingly apparent and may direct their future occupational aspirations. Using a person-oriented approach, this study examines students' self-concept, and positive and negative task values (i.e., utility value, intrinsic value, and emotional cost) across Finnish language, math, biology, and physics, and the stability of the identified profiles. Further, the associations of the profiles with students' subsequent academic achievement and math and natural science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)/health science STEM aspirations, and gendered effects were examined. Longitudinal data was collected through Grades 7 to 9 in 21 middle schools in Helsinki, Finland ( = 1,309, = 1,179, = 818, respectively; age 13-15 years; 55.9% female). Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four task value profiles in Grades 7 and 8: (13%/13%) showed low task values with high cost, especially in math and physics; (7%/8%) showed the highest task values with the lowest cost, especially in math and physics; (18%/17%) showed high task values and cost across domains; and (62%/62%) showed moderate task values and cost across domains. The latent transition analysis identified as the most stable profile across 2 years. In comparison to the other profiles, students with a profile were less likely to have STEM aspirations in Grade 9. These results suggests that majority of middle school students are highly to moderately motivated in various domains, however, some students simultaneously experience high cost. It may reflect the increasingly difficult courses and study demands in middle school.