Timing of a single UV essay is moderated by prior performance: early UV essays help low performers, late UV essays help high performers¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r3 · q3 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i1 In a 3-cell subset analysis, the timing dummy by prior GPA interaction on course grade was significant (t(204) = 2.15, β = -.17, p = .033): low-GPA students earned higher grades with a first-unit UV essay, high-GPA students with a third-unit UV essay. → Canning 2018

Evidence¶

Canning 2018¶

Canning, E. A., Harackiewicz, J. M., Priniski, S. J., Hecht, C. A., Tibbetts, Y., & Hyde, J. S. (2018). Improving Performance and Retention in Introductory Biology with a Utility-Value Intervention. Journal of educational psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000244

q3 · i1 · causal · r3

Exploratory supplementary analysis of a 3-cell subset (UV first, second, or third with two control essays), using dummy-coded regressions with prior GPA interactions and covariates. The article reports "t(204) = 2.15, β = -.17, p = .033" for the timing × prior GPA interaction on course grade — a small effect.

"This shows that students with low prior GPAs earned higher grades in the course when they wrote about UV in the first unit (Ŷ = 2.68), compared to writing a UV essay in the third unit (Ŷ = 2.49). The opposite was true for students with high prior GPAs, in that writing a UV essay in the third unit was more beneficial (Ŷ = 3.51) than writing a UV essay in the first unit (Ŷ = 3.33)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• A utility-value writing intervention increases course grades in introductory biology relative to a summarizing control — related
• A UV essay in the final unit of the course promotes enrollment in the second biology course, especially for high-performing students — related
• In replication analyses, the variety conditions were particularly beneficial for students with low prior GPAs, while the same-type-only conditions had negligible effect sizes — related
• UV dosage shows a nonmonotonic pattern: one or three UV essays outperform two for grades and continuation — related