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25 - Utility Value and Intervention Framing

from Part V - Goals and Values

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2019

K. Ann Renninger  and
Suzanne E. Hidi
By
Elizabeth A. Canning  and
Judith M. Harackiewicz
K. Ann Renninger
Affiliation:
Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania
Suzanne E. Hidi
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Summary

Students often lose interest in critical introductory courses that act as gateways to successive courses and careers. Utility value writing interventions have been designed to help students find the personal relevance and value of course material in order to promote interest and performance. However, little is known about how best to implement the intervention in terms of how to frame it, particularly in multi-level classrooms where students enter the course with different goals, challenges, and educational backgrounds. In this chapter, we review the research on utility value writing interventions and discuss differential findings across educational contexts. Using a case study in two-year colleges, we consider psychological (e.g., confidence, engagement) and cognitive (linguistic indicators of cognitive processing) mechanisms for the success of the intervention, as well as how the intervention can be beneficial for students with varying levels of interest and performance. We conclude with implications for intervention framing and directions for future research.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Motivation and Learning , pp. 645 - 662
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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