This study examined how students' interest, self-efficacy, and perceived difficulty change during a task, how those changes relate to each other, and how they predict performance. Sixth-graders (N = 1024) rated their interest, self-efficacy, and perceived difficulty repeatedly during a dynamic problem-solving task. Results from the estimated non-linear and piecewise latent growth curve models showed interest and self-efficacy to decrease, and perceived difficulty first to increase, and then to decrease, over time. The levels of and changes in interest and self-efficacy correlated positively with each other, but negatively with perceived difficulty. Task performance was positively predicted by initial interest and less negative change in self-efficacy, and negatively by initial perceived difficulty and steeper increase in it. The results suggest perceived difficulty to have a distinctive role in the dynamics of task-specific motivation, and on-task changes to be relatively independent of more general motivation and competence.

本研究调查了学生的兴趣、自我效能感和感知难度在任务中如何变化，这些变化如何相互关联，以及他们如何预测表现。六年级（N = 1024) 在动态解决问题的任务中反复评估他们的兴趣、自我效能和感知难度。估计的非线性和分段潜在增长曲线模型的结果表明，随着时间的推移，兴趣和自我效能感会降低，感知难度先增加，然后再减少。兴趣和自我效能感的水平和变化与彼此呈正相关，但与感知难度呈负相关。最初的兴趣和自我效能感的较少负面变化对任务绩效有积极的预测，而最初感知的困难和它的急剧增加则消极。结果表明，感知困难在特定任务动机的动态中具有独特的作用，并且任务变化相对独立于更一般的动机和能力。