Expectancy Values and their Interaction with the edTPA

At the end of every academic semester, thousands of teacher candidates from all over the United States participate in a subject specific, portfolio based, performance assessment called the edTPA. Many of these candidates are required to pass this assessment to either graduate or receive their license or both. Many of the educator preparation programs they attend also use their scores as evidence of effectiveness for their own certification renewal. It is crucial for the university faculty and staff to develop techniques to assist all candidates succeed in the edTPA within the acceptable guidelines set forth by distributors of the edTPA. Grounded in the Situated Expectancy Value Theory, this sequential mixed methods study sought to address the extent to which a candidate’s level of expectation for success and their subjective task value influenced their edTPA scores.