Measuring Perceived Utility Value and Personal Relevance in College Biology Courses

• In Event: Experiencing Relevance: Clarifying the Definition of a Vital Motivational Concept

Abstract

We will discuss the interrelations of perceived utility value (seeing a task or topic as important to one’s daily life and/or future goals), measured in different ways (self-report, coded from essays, analyzed with linguistic coding software) with interest and academic performance. We will present a multidimensional model of perceived utility value, developed in the context of research in college biology courses in which students write essays about the personal relevance of different topics covered in the class.

Theoretical Perspective
Our work is based in Eccles’ expectancy-value model (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002), with a particular emphasis on utility value. Students’ perceptions of utility value are malleable, and we test interventions designed to promote them in particular topics, hypothesizing that an increase in perceived utility value will foster interest (Hidi & Renninger, 2006) and improve academic performance (Harackiewicz & Hulleman, 2010). However, it is not clear what aspects of utility value are most important. Two components of utility value may be promoted when students write essays: personal identification with the material, and cognitive elaboration of connections, when they generate examples.

Method
Working in the context of a year-long introductory biology class for college students, we have measured perceived utility value and interest via questionnaires in each of the six units of the course: (N=1200 students). Students are randomly assigned to write utility value essays (with the choice of writing about the importance of each topic for themselves, or a letter to a friend or family member about the importance to them) or essays that summarize a topic. We have developed a reliable coding system to identify the level and specificity of utility value expressed in each essay on a 5-point scale, ranging from no utility value expressed, to specific and detailed statements about personal utility. We have also developed coding protocols for content analyses of these essays using linguistic analysis software (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program; Chung & Pennebaker, 2008) to analyze the degree of usage of utility words and cognitive elaboration of utility connections, as well as the usage of personal pronouns.

Results
Analyses to date suggest that different aspects of utility value have differential relations with interest and performance. In particular, pronoun usage is more strongly associated with interest, whereas utility connection words are more strongly related to performance, suggesting that it is important to examine different facets of utility value. Our ongoing analyses will allow us to compare explicit measures of perceived utility value (questionnaires) with implicit measures (as assessed in essays), and we will also analyze utility value as a function of the type of essay written (personal essay versus letter). These analyses should provide insight into the nature of utility value. For example, is it more important to discover many connections, or identify a strong connection with the self? Is utility value for a friend or family member as powerful as personal utility value, and are there gender differences in these processes?

Significance
Our results will help inform the development of more effective value interventions.

Authors

• Judith Harackiewicz, University of Wisconsin

• Yoi Tibbetts, University of Wisconsin

• Elizabeth Ann Canning, University of Wisconsin - Madison