Many scholars have argued that motivation is dynamic and malleable across time and contexts. In this article, we investigated changes in undergraduates' task value and self-efficacy across an academic semester. Sixty three undergraduate students completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire across five time points in their…

Covariance structure modeling tested four alternative models of determinants of student effort changes. Four alternative models were investigated using 167 junior and 155 senior high school students. Effort ratings by teachers were obtained for 282 of the students. The importance of changes in students' perceptions of ability is discussed. (SLD)