Understanding the antecedents and impact of task value belief in teaching and learning: test of a moderated mediation model

Despite growing concerns about task value belief, research on its antecedents and the mechanisms through which it influences students’ motivation and outcomes remains unclear in teaching and learning. Drawing on the development-in-sociocultural-context model, this study addresses these questions by examining a moderated mediation model of the antecedents and outcomes of task value belief in education. Analyzing multi-wave and multi-source data from 647 university students, the results reveal that teacher feedback relates positively to task value belief, and complexity moderates these relationships. In addition, task value belief indirectly relates to academic performance through engagement. The indirect effect of teacher feedback on academic performance through the sequential mediation of task value belief and engagement is conditional upon complexity such that this relationship is stronger when the task is more complex rather than simple. The implications of these findings are also discussed.