Learning biologically primary words is rated as more enjoyable and more interesting than learning biologically secondary words¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i1small
Currency · newest study 2024 · checked against its sources 2026-10-22 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
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q3 i1 Primary knowledge words were rated more interesting (d = 0.38) than secondary knowledge words; enjoyment was also higher (d = 0.49). → Kate M. Xu 2024
Evidence¶
Kate M. Xu 2024¶
Kate M. Xu, Sarah Coertjens, Florence Lespiau, Kim Ouwehand, Hanke Korpershoek, Fred Paas, David C. Geary. (2024). An Evolutionary Approach to Motivation and Learning: Differentiating Biologically Primary and Secondary Knowledge. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09880-3
q3 · i1 · causal · r2
Paired-sample t-tests on single-item ratings collected after each of the eight study lists in the same 144-participant randomized experiment. Ratings showed primary words "more interesting" (d = 0.38) and "more enjoyable" (d = 0.49), both p < 0.001.
"participants rated learning primary knowledge words as more interesting (t = 4.53, p < 0.001, d = 0.38; M = 4.56, SD = 1.79 for primary knowledge words; M = 4.32, SD = 1.80 for secondary knowledge words), more enjoyable (t = 5.83, p < 0.001, d = 0.49"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Achievement Emotions — outcome: instruction changes it
- Interest — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- Learning biologically primary words is perceived as less difficult and less effortful than learning biologically secondary words — related
- Adults recall more biologically primary knowledge words than biologically secondary knowledge words in a paired vocabulary learning task — related
- The effect of a growth mindset intervention does not interact with knowledge type for motivation, cognitive load, or recall — related
- A short growth mindset intervention raised growth mindset belief but produced no significant difference from control in recall performance, interest, enjoyment or perceived difficulty and effort, for either knowledge type — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
primary-words-more-enjoyable-interesting |
title |
Learning biologically primary words is rated as more enjoyable and more interesting than learning biologically secondary words |
description |
Learning biologically primary words is rated as more enjoyable and more interesting than learning biologically secondary words |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2024 |
source_checked |
2026-10-22 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-22 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — kate-m-xu-2024 |
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