Expectancy-Value Theory: A case in point
V is a brilliant young man, a high school junior who is passionate about history, political science, and international affairs. He reads widely from thick tomes that discuss the events, along with their causes and consequences, from the 18th century to modern times. He can quote chapter and verse, and often makes astute observations about things like the polit bureau or the McCarthyism.
One might assume that he will take easily to a challenging high school history curriculum. But, V is bored to tears. He is frustrated by what he calls the “banality” of his assignments, the fact that his teachers often know and care less about the subject matter than he does, and that many of his classmates are in class just for the grade and to enhance their transcripts for college admissions. He struggles to begin writing when he has essays to write for homework. V’s mother desribes him as sitting frozen in front of his computer screen for extended periods, just unable to write.
His difficulties with writing is what brought V to me. His parents and teachers were deeply concerned about his significant difficulties initiating and completing writing tasks. In our sessions, V expressed himself eloquently when talking and sometimes shared pieces he had written for class that he was somewhat pleased with. He spoke often and painfully about how bored and dislocated he felt at school, without a peer group or a class where he could engage with the content of his choice in a way that was satisfying to him. And, his writing problems continued despite our efforts to address it.
This past summer, V found himself a scholar’s program, where he could be mentored by a history scholar and complete a small research paper in an area of interest. Over the course of a busy post-junior year/pre-senior year summer, V wrote a brilliant 6,000 word paper under the mentorship of a history scholar at Cambridge, U.K., whom he met virtually. According to the feedback he received at the end of the program, he maintained a tight timeline, produced multiple drafts, worked with his mentor to edit and revise his work and, overall, produced a paper of the highest scholarly standard. In his paper, V demonstrated the abilty to integrate, synthesize and discuss complex historical events and phenomena with ease that far exceeded his 11 years of stressful education.
What made the difference for V? When I asked V this, he responded that he thought it was because he was able to work with material in a discipline that he valued greatly, an in a manner that honored who he was as a learner. He was able to write in a way that was deeply satisfying for him, and that he knew he could do with ease. If he could do something so advanced, why did he struggle with school-based writing, I wondered. V responded that his store of knowledge and his insights are so much beyond what is asked for at school that he often struggles to respond in a sufficiently limited and superficial way that fits the expectations of the assignment. He joked that he felt like he was a cannon, coming in to swat a fly.
As V and I reflected on his experiences this summer, he pointed out that many kids struggle that the work is too hard. He struggles because the work is too easy, which paradoxically, makes it too hard. That is truly a conundrum.