Abstract:

In Japanese students, motivation for learning in higher education is becoming increasingly diverse. An increasing number of universities are focusing on first-year education of new students. As first-year education takes place immediately after enrollment, students generally have high expectations, hence, are highly motivated to learn. Therefore, it is important to understand the expectation students have of their first-year classes, and what motivates them to learn better. In this study, the author examined the causal factors behind students' expectations from a first-year science education class focused on "academic experience" at a Japanese national university, using a cross-lagged effects model for pre and post-classes (N=1396, X2=21.42, df=7, p=.00, CFI=1.00, NFI Delta1=1.00, RMSEA=.04). The study showed that students who expected textbook-based learning (e.g., knowledge and skills) or had vague expectations about the class could not learn more than they expected. On the other hand, students who expected to learn from various human resources (e.g., classmates, professors, and teaching assistants) rated themselves as having learned more than they expected. The result indicated that even abstract and superficial expectations affected student learning. It further suggested that having an expectation about meta-learning that is, learning how to learn, could lead to better learning outcomes for first-year students.

Keywords:

First-year experience, expectation, meta-learning, higher education, cross-lagged effects model.