The potential of relevance interventions for scaling up: A cluster-randomized trial testing the effectiveness of a relevance intervention in math classrooms.

Abstract

Relevance interventions have shown a great potential to foster motivation and achievement (Lazowski & Hulleman, 2016). Yet, further research is warranted to test how such interventions can be successfully implemented in practice. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in ninthgrade mathematics classrooms to test the effectiveness of a relevance intervention, which was shown to be efficacious when implemented by researchers, for fostering motivation and achievement under real-world conditions. The 78 participating classrooms (N = 1,744 students)were randomly assigned to one of two intervention conditions or a waitlist control condition. The intervention was implemented by master's students or the regular math teachers. Intervention effects were evaluated using self-reports, teacher ratings, and achievement tests 4 weeks and 3 months after the intervention, controlling for the initial levels of the outcomes. Compared with the control condition, both intervention conditions showed similar positive effects on utility value. Unexpectedly, students in both intervention conditions also reported higher perceived cost compared with students in the control condition after the intervention. When implemented by master's students, additional intervention effects on students' growth mindsets and a standardized achievement test could be observed. Only small differences in effectiveness were observed between the intervention conditions, although master's students showed a higher level of adherence. In both intervention conditions, higher levels of adherence and lower levels of discipline problems were associated with more positive changes in utility value. Overall, the intervention thus showed mixed effects. Future research should therefore continue to examine the conditions under which relevance interventions work in practice.

Democratizing Creativity by Enhancing Imagery and Agency: A Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Canning & Harackiewicz, 2015;Gaspard et al, 2015Gaspard et al, , 2021Hulleman & Harackiewicz, 2009;Piesch et al, 2020 These interventions could be similar to the interventions targeting creative confidence, yet the focus here would be more on the personal relevance of creativity and not only its utility value. These may include activities that engage the whole classroom during regular classes (e.g., presentations on what and why creativity matters in different professions and leisure activities, providing quotations from people who appreciate creativity and consider it important in their lives) as well as student-level tasks to be completed outside or inside the classroom (e.g., simple writing assignments, in which students are asked to reflect on why creativity could be important for them, what creative activities they would find interesting, and which creative domain they could identify with).…”

Understanding the interplay between targeted motivation interventions and motivational teaching practices in mathematics classrooms

“…To test its effectiveness under more realistic conditions for scaling up, the regular mathematics teachers or master's students implemented the intervention in MoMa 2 after training. Both intervention conditions again showed positive effects on utility value compared with a waitlist control condition until 3 months after the intervention (d = 0.09-0.18; Gaspard et al, 2021). However, these effects were somewhat smaller compared with MoMa 1 and did not extend to all of the outcomes for which positive effects were observed in the first trial.…”

“…In this study, we examined the interplay between a relevance intervention implemented in mathematics classrooms and the motivational teaching practices applied before and after the intervention in regular classes. To this end, we used data from a cluster-randomized trial with 79 mathematics classes that tested the effectiveness of a 90-min relevance intervention, which was implemented by the regular mathematics teacher or a master's student after training (Gaspard et al, 2021). Specifically, we investigated whether perceived relevance support before and after the intervention moderated the effects of the intervention on students' utility value, whether students' perceptions of relevance support changed after the intervention, and whether such changes mediated effects of the intervention on students' utility value.…”

Recruter de meilleurs échantillons en éducation

“…Cette sensibilité accrue à la représentativité se manifeste notamment dans l'utilisation des diagrammes de flux (ex. : Gaspard et al, 2021;Michaud, Dion, Barrette, Dupéré et Toste, 2017;Montero-Marin et al, 2021). De tels diagrammes servent à décrire relativement en détails le recrutement et permettent d'estimer la représentativité de l'échantillon.…”

“…L'intervention a été réalisée par des enseignants remplaçants ou à la retraite formés et accompagnés selon une procédure suffisamment économique pour être normalement utilisables par les écoles. Les résultats de Gersten et collègues ont confirmé que l'intervention était efficace et essentiellement reproduit ceux de Fuchs et collègues (pour un autre exemple récent de reproductibilité, voirGaspard et al, 2021).…”