{"id":5,"date":"2016-09-09T15:35:56","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T15:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/MILLab\/?page_id=5"},"modified":"2026-01-19T20:48:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T20:48:22","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/MILLab\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the MiL\u00b7Lab<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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The Motivation, Identity, and Learning Lab (MiL\u00b7Lab), directed by Tony Perez, Ph.D., researches how students\u2019 expectancies for academic success, values, and perceived costs shape their feelings of learning, belonging, and persistence. Our goal is practical: translate motivation science into design principles for courses and supports that help diverse students thrive from year one through graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What We Study<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Our research is guided by Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT), a motivational framework that emphasizes the role of context in shaping students’ confidence in their abilities and the value they assign to academic tasks. We also examine how identity-relevant barriers and supports shape student motivation across learning environments. Broadly, our work seeks to better conceptualize how motivation and identity development intersect, and how they can promote academic engagement, achievement, and persistence – particularly among students from historically underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines. We build on conceptual and theoretical foundations and apply these insights toward the design of learning environments and interventions that foster inclusivity and belonging \u2013 where all students can see themselves as capable, valued members of their fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What We Build<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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MilLab partners with instructors and programs across the country to design and test course-embedded supports and interventions that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n