Linguistically varying an instructional video into easy, moderate, and difficult versions does not significantly affect students’ expectancies of success or intrinsic task value compared with the moderate version¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Neither the linguistically easy nor the linguistically difficult instructional video affected expectancies of success or intrinsic task value significantly relative to the moderate version. → Lina Wirth 2026

Evidence¶

Lina Wirth 2026¶

Lina Wirth, Timo Ehmke, Jan Retelsdorf, Poldi Kuhl. (2026). Linguistic demands of instructions: Effects on students’ expectancy-value beliefs. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-026-09799-y

q3 · i? · causal · r2

A randomized experiment assigned 123 pre-service teachers to linguistically easy (n = 42), moderate (n = 43), or difficult (n = 38) versions of a statistics video. In a path model, "the effects on students’ expectancies of success and intrinsic task value were not significant," so equivalence was not tested.

"The results showed that the effects on students’ expectancies of success and intrinsic task value were not significant."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Motivation — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Under linguistically difficult instruction, higher language ability is associated with lower expectancies of success — the opposite direction of the hypothesized moderation — related
• Expectancies of success and intrinsic task value positively predict achievement test scores, but language-related variables show no indirect effects on achievement via these beliefs — related
• Students’ language abilities positively predict their expectancies of success while learning from an instructional video, but not their intrinsic task value — related
• Learners invest more effort in tasks they perceive as interesting, personally important, or useful to their future goals. — a broader claim this one bears on
• Task complexity and desirable difficulties do not significantly affect intrinsic interest or expectancies for success — related
• Students perceive manageable challenge matched to their skills, with a sense of accomplishment, as an intrinsically rewarding element of fun in formal learning — related