Premium
Utility value interventions in a college biology lab: The impact on motivation
Author(s) -
Curry Kevin W.,
Spencer Dan,
Pesout Ondra,
Pigford Kimberly
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/tea.21592
Subject(s) - value (mathematics) , psychological intervention , task (project management) , situational ethics , psychology , mathematics education , intervention (counseling) , medical education , science education , intrinsic value (animal ethics) , computer science , social psychology , medicine , biology , machine learning , psychiatry , ecology , management , economics
Science writing, such as lab reports, allows students to form a meaningful understanding of scientific concepts. However, students often view scientific writing as unimportant and utilize surface level approaches when completing writing assignments. The current study implemented three experimental interventions (directly‐communicated, self‐generated, and hybrid) aligned with prior literature and designed to improve the utility value of lab reports in college settings. Participants ( n = 1,002) were recruited from 43 lab sections of an introductory biology course at a large southeastern university. Measures of subjective task value (utility value, attainment value, cost, and intrinsic value) were collected pre‐, mid‐, and post‐intervention. The self‐generated and hybrid groups exhibited higher self‐reported utility value by posttest compared to the control group. Requiring students to generate their own utility value toward a task, followed by a written reflection, increases students' maintained and situational interest for biology laboratory reports.