The Senioritis Pandemic

"Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT), originally proposed by John William Atkinson in the 1950s and later expanded to educational psychology by Jacquelynne Eccles and colleagues, suggests that motivation depends on 2 key factors: Expectancy: the likelihood of attaining a goal (do you expect to be successful at it?) and Value: the perceived value of a goal (is it worth doing?)"

"Per EVT, academic motivation is strongest when expectancy is high but not yet guaranteed, and when value is also high. Senioritis disrupts this balance. In the spring of senior year, the expectancy of a high-school diploma and/or a desired college acceptance is typically already known. Thus, the subsequent value of schoolwork also collapses."

"One survey found that 68% of high school seniors report decreased motivation in their final semester due to senioritis, and 82% of graduating seniors admit to skipping classes more frequently. The Oxford English Dictionary officially recognized the term in 2012."

Senioritis, the documented decline in academic engagement during senior year, affects 68% of high school seniors and involves increased absenteeism and grade drops. Rather than simple laziness, senioritis stems from psychological processes explained by Expectancy-Value Theory, which posits that motivation depends on expectancy (likelihood of success) and value (perceived worth of goals). During spring senior year, when college acceptances and diploma outcomes become known, the expectancy component becomes certain, causing the value of remaining schoolwork to collapse. This psychological shift occurs because the primary goal has been mentally achieved before the semester ends, disrupting the motivational balance that typically sustains academic effort.

Read at Psychology Today