Using Choice and Utility Value to Promote Interest: Stimulating Situational Interest in a Lesson and Fostering the...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Student interest is crucial for effective learning and academic persistence.
• Understanding how to trigger situational interest and foster enduring interest is a key challenge for educators.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate methods for triggering and maintaining student interest during instruction.
• To explore how to develop interest that persists beyond the classroom setting.
• To differentiate the effects of offering choices versus highlighting utility value on interest development.

Main Methods:

• Conducted seven laboratory experiments with 2,019 undergraduate students learning statistics.
• Implemented two manipulations: providing meaningful choices and presenting information on utility value.
• Utilized an internal meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of these manipulations.

Main Results:

• Both choice and utility value manipulations enhanced situational interest.
• Choice manipulation increased self-reported attention and engagement during the session.
• Utility value manipulation led to students seeking further information about statistics, indicating enduring interest.

Conclusions:

• Meaningful choices effectively trigger and maintain situational interest and engagement.
• Highlighting the utility value of academic content is crucial for developing longer-term, enduring interest.
• Multifaceted instructional approaches combining choice and utility value are promising for fostering comprehensive student interest.