Although there is a growth of interest in student motivation in higher education, not enough is known about the developmental relationships between motivational components among college students. In this study, a sample of 503 students in a five-year combined Bachelor's/Master's degree program at a Belgian university reported their statistics cognitive competence, utility value, and interest at the beginning of or prior to each of three progressively more advanced statistics courses. Results from latent growth curve analysis (LGCA) revealed that students' self-perceived mathematics ability at the beginning of the first course was positively associated with initial levels of statistics interest, utility value, and cognitive competence but not with their developmental trends. Moreover, results from multigroup LGCA suggested that students who reported lower mathematics ability began the first statistics courses with lower initial levels of interest, utility value and cognitive competence, but experienced development in these constructs at similar rates as their peers reporting higher mathematics ability. We also found that rates of growth in cognitive competence or value were positively associated with rates of decrease in interest. Implications of these findings for instructional practice are discussed.

尽管人们对高等教育中学生动机的兴趣有所增长，但对大学生动机成分之间的发展关系知之甚少。在这项研究中，来自比利时某大学的五年制学士/硕士学位课程的503名学生的样本报告了他们在三门逐步更高级的统计学课程开始或之前的统计学认知能力，效用价值和兴趣。 。潜在增长曲线分析（LGCA）的结果表明，学生在第一门课程开始时的自我感知数学能力与统计学兴趣，效用价值和认知能力的初始水平呈正相关，但与他们的发展趋势却没有正相关。此外，多组LGCA的结果表明，数学能力较低的学生以较低的初始兴趣，效用价值和认知能力开始了第一门统计学课程，但在这些结构中经历的发展速度与报告较高数学能力的同龄人相似。我们还发现，认知能力或价值的增长速度与兴趣降低的速度呈正相关。讨论了这些发现对教学实践的意义。我们还发现，认知能力或价值的增长速度与兴趣降低的速度呈正相关。讨论了这些发现对教学实践的意义。我们还发现，认知能力或价值的增长速度与兴趣降低的速度呈正相关。讨论了这些发现对教学实践的意义。