Poster #21 - In the Eyes of the Beholder: Undergraduates' Perception of Relevance

• In Event: 15.062 - MTCC Poster Session One
  In Poster Session: 15.062-2 - Contemporary Issues in Motivation Research Models of Motivation: Theoretical and Applied Advances

Abstract

In the recent years, the construct of academic relevance has garnered increasing attention within the educational literature (Albrecht & Karabenick, 2018). Unfortunately, the findings from studies have been inconsistent with regard to the effects of relevance interventions on students’ academic performance (Alexander, 2018). In this study, one potential reason for such inconsistency is explored, which is conceptual ambiguity. We inquired with students to find out how relevance is perceived among those who are the target of such interventions. We found that most students preferred a conceptualisation of relevance as interconnected and conceptually overlapping with personal interest and task value, suggesting that the rigid conceptualisations of relevance as personal interest or task value that presently dominate the literature are too narrow.

Authors

• Eric Cornelis Schoute, University of Maryland - College Park

• Sofie Loyens, University College Roosevelt

• Fred Paas, Erasmus University

• Patricia A. Alexander, University of Maryland - College Park