The development of expectations and value beliefs among international students in Germany over the study course: Effects of sociodemographic characteristics, subject groups and their intersectional interplay

Abstract

A differentiated understanding of the motivational trajectories of international students in Germany is crucial to support their study success. Drawing on the Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT), we investigated the development of international students’ expectations and value beliefs over the study course. We also investigated interindividual differences in developmental trajectories by gender, subject group (STEM/non-STEM), parental academic background, students’ cultural background and their intersectional interplay. We used (conditional) latent growth curve models (LGCM) with data of N = 1,486 international bachelor students from a panel study among international students in Germany with five measurements from their first to their fifth semester. The LGCMs showed small linear increases in study-related language skills and costs but small linear decreases in the other value components. Academic self-efficacy revealed a non-linear change pattern. Conditional LGCMs pointed to motivational differences between STEM versus non-STEM students and between first- and continuous-generation students. Most findings described motivational differences by the students’ cultural background (i.e., region of origin), particularly, all students from regions outside Western Europe experienced higher costs and lower study-related language skills at the start of their studies, which mainly persisted over the study course. The findings offer a differentiated understanding of the long-term motivational trajectories in the heterogeneous group of international bachelor’s students in Germany and provide indications for tailored interventions to support their study motivation and success. Small decreases in functional motivational beliefs, increases in costs. Higher costs in STEM than non-STEM students, differences increase. Lower self-efficacy among first-generation than continuous-generation students, differences persist. Most findings show motivational differences by cultural background, e.g., higher costs for students from outside of Western Europe, differences persist.