A dissociation between engagement and learning: Enthusiastic instructions fail to reliably improve performance on a memory task

Abstract

Despite widespread assertions that enthusiasm is an important quality of effective teaching, empirical research on the effect of enthusiasm on learning and memory is mixed and largely inconclusive. To help resolve these inconsistencies, we conducted a carefully-controlled laboratory experiment, investigating whether enthusiastic instructions for a memory task would improve recall accuracy. Scripted videos, either enthusiastic or neutral, were used to manipulate the delivery of task instructions. We also manipulated the sequence of learning items, replicating the spacing effect, a known cognitive technique for memory improvement. Although spaced study reliably improved test performance, we found no reliable effect of enthusiasm on memory performance across two experiments. We did, however, find that enthusiastic instructions caused participants to respond to more item prompts, leaving fewer test questions blank, an outcome typically associated with increased task motivation. We find no support for the popular claim that enthusiastic instruction will improve learning, although it may still improve engagement. This dissociation between motivation and learning is discussed, as well as its implications for education and future research on student learning.

Does motivation matter? – The relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and enthusiasm and students’ performance

“…Regarding the two considered dimensions of teacher enthusiasm, our results indicate that students’ performance was positively related to the teachers’ subject-specific enthusiasm. Studies with experimental designs (e.g., [ 32 ]) give hints that teachers’ motivational orientations predict students’ performance. Following this assumption, we carefully conclude that subject-specific enthusiasm could be significant for students’ performance and should thus be fostered in pre- and in-service teacher education.…”

“…From an intuitive point of view, students, parents, and teachers themselves see enthusiasm as a crucial characteristic of effective teachers [ 32 , 33 ]. Moreover, there are theoretical assumptions that indicate a significance of teacher enthusiasm for students’ learning [ 33 , 34 ].…”

“…The level of enthusiasm is often derived from observed behaviours, for example the teaching style [ 46 ] or gestures and facial expressions [ 36 ]. These studies often provide experimental designs in which different conditions with different levels of enthusiasm are carefully contrasted (e.g., [ 32 , 47 – 49 ]). The results of these studies are mixed.…”

“…The results of these studies are mixed. Some studies support the relevance of teacher enthusiasm (e.g., [ 40 , 49 – 54 ]), while others find no apparent or very limited effect of enthusiasm on students’ learning [ 32 , 35 , 47 – 49 , 55 , 56 ].…”

“…Teachers’ enthusiasm is intuitively considered important for students’ performance [ 32 ]. Nevertheless, further research is needed as the available empirical findings are indeed mixed [ 7 , 32 , 35 , 40 , 49 ]. The Kunter group considered the object of enthusiasm (subject, teaching the subject) [ 7 , 13 , 14 ].…”