Utility value intervention fails to boost student motivation and performance in psychology courses.

Abstract

Students sometimes fail to perceive value in course content. Previous research, guided by the expectancy-value theory, suggests utility value (UV) interventions may increase perceived value, motivation, and interest. The current study tests the application of a UV intervention in an applied setting by examining its impact on academic performance, perceptions of course value, and interest in two undergraduate psychology classes. Psychology students enrolled in research methods and educational psychology courses were randomly assigned to either a UV or control (stress management) condition. Exam scores and self-reported UV and interest were collected before and after the intervention. It was expected that students in the UV intervention condition would report greater perceived UV, interest, and score higher on the postintervention exam relative to students in the control condition. Contrary to predictions, there was no evidence to suggest that the intervention had an effect, as no significant change was detected in perceived value, interest, or performance. Possible reasons for this finding are discussed, along with practical suggestions for the utilization of UV interventions in classroom settings.

The Benefits of Participating in a Learning Assistant Program on the Metacognitive Awareness and Motivation of Learning Assistants

“…However, not all interventions seemed to impact attitudes ( Cleveland et al. , 2017 ; Edwards et al. , 2021 ).…”

Testing the Effects of a Utility Value Intervention in an Online Research Methods Course: A Conceptual Replication of Hulleman et al. (2017, Study 2)

“…Positive effects of UV interventions have been observed on utility value, interest, and performance, but these effects have not been observed consistently across studies (Soicher & Becker-Blease, 2020). In fact, one of the most recent published studies failed to reveal positive effects of a UV intervention in a single small section of a research methods course or a single section of an educational psychology course (Edwards et al, 2021). Another reason is that the effectiveness of UV interventions may depend on large-scale contextual variables (e.g., institution type, course type) that typically do not vary within individual studies.…”