School value – the extent to students perceive school and studying as enjoyable, important, and useful – is not only an important educational outcome, but also a motivational factor that influences students’ educational choices (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). Past research has shown that students’ motivation and their experiences of the meaningfulness of studying decline over time during adolescence, but become somewhat more positive again during later years (e.g., Jacobs et al., 2002). It appears that these general age-typical trends are to some extent a function of the students’ level of achievement, meaning that the initial decline in motivation is steeper among lower achieving students. It is also suggested that changes in school environment and the educational ethos typical to middle school years (e.g., growing emphasis on performance) influence fluctuations in students’ school-related experiences (Wigfield and Wagner, 2005). 

This study examines changes in school value across the transition from lower secondary education to upper secondary education among Finnish students (N = 372) who choose either academic or vocational track after the ninth grade. Using latent growth curve modeling we were able to detect a significant overall increase in school value from ninth grade to the second year of upper secondary education. Compared to the students in the academic track, the vocational students’ initial level of school value was lower, but the positive change in it, in contrast, was steeper. After controlling for the influence of educational track, prior achievement predicted only the initial level of school value. Finally, both the initial level of school value and the rate of change in it predicted students’ later satisfaction with their educational choice, irrespective of educational track and prior achievement. These findings not only demonstrate the important role educational context plays in students’ school-related choices, but also illustrate how positive changes on a personal level make a difference. 

Eccles, J. S. and Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values and goals, Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109-132. Jacobs, J. E., Lanza, S., Osgood, D. W., Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Changes in children’s self-competence and values: Gender and domain differences across grades one through twelve. Child Development, 73, 509 - 527. Wigfield, A., & Wagner, A.L. (2005). Competence, motivation, and identity development during adolescence. In A. J. Elliot & C .S. Dweck (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation (pp. 222 -239). NewYork: Guilford Press.