The Effects of Directly Communicated Utility Value on Situational Interest: A Process Analysis

• In Event: 65.058 - Moving Utility Value Research Forward: Examining Moderators, Mediators, and Context

Abstract

Purpose
This research tested the effects of an intervention designed to communicate the utility value of a math task to learners. It tested the moderating effects of both initial success expectancies and a manipulation of expectancies to evaluate how these variables affected interest, and whether they were mediated by processes during task engagement.

Theoretical framework
Interest involves an enduring link between a person and a content domain that includes knowledge and value (Renninger, 2000). Although value can take different forms, utility value refers to whether a task is relevant for achieving personal goals (Eccles et al., 1983). When students perceive utility value in an academic domain they may find it more interesting because it is personally valuable. To this end, utility value can be directly communicated to learners, but prior research has shown that directly-communicated utility value can promote task interest only among some learners (Durik & Harackiewicz, 2007; Durik, Hulleman, & Harackiewicz, In press; Shechter et al., 2011). The current research experimentally manipulated an expectancy boost to determine whether an expectancy boost could help all learners benefit from directly-communicated utility information. In this presentation we focus specifically on several processes that can unfold throughout task engagement to affect interest (Harackiewicz & Sansone, 1991). These processes include how much participants cared about doing well (competence valuation), became involved in the activity (task involvement), and perceived themselves as competent (perceived competence).

Method
The participants were 148 college students (49% women) who learned a new technique for mentally solving multiplication problems with instructions containing task utility information or not. We also manipulated whether participants received an expectancy boost before receiving the utility manipulation by telling some participants that they had strong potential to learn the technique. We measured task interest as well as several process measures (i.e., competence valuation, task involvement, and perceived competence).

Results
Multiple regression was used to test the effects on task interest and the process measures. Three-way interactions among utility value, initial expectancies for success and the efficacy boost emerged for task interest, t(134)=-2.86, p < .01, β=-.16, competence valuation, t(134)=-2.43, p < .05, β=-.13, and task involvement, t(134)=-2.09, p < .05, β=-.12. For learners with initially low success expectancies, directly-communicated utility led to worse outcomes in the absence of an expectancy boost, but these were eliminated when an expectancy boost was present. Learners with high success expectancies benefited from utility without an expectancy boost. These effects were mediated by competence valuation measured before they used the technique on the problems. Among those with initially low expectancies, the utility value manipulation helped them care about success, but only if they received encouragement about their learning potential. This early investment in the task helped them become more involved in the activity and find it interesting. A follow-up study that is underway may also be informative by testing the effects of two kinds of expectancy boosts.

Scientific significance
The results demonstrate that success expectancies moderate the effects of directly-communicated utility value, and how valuation of competence plays a role.

Authors

• Amanda Marie Durik, Northern Illinois University

• Meghan Irene Huntoon Lindeman, Northern Illinois University