Provide motivational interventions in the very early stages of students' college careers in math-intensive domains¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 6 claims (6 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article's Educational Impact and Implications Statement recommends that "educational interventions that support students' success in math-intensive study domains are needed in the very early stages of their college careers." Because the motivational shock occurred between Weeks 2 and 3 and the largest declines occurred in the first half of the semester, interventions should target this early window. The authors note that more intensive short-term analyses can help identify time points at which motivational interventions might be most fruitful and needed.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Identification of sensitive time points at which motivational changes are most likely to occur

Constraints¶

• Interventions should account for the fact that motivational changes from midpoint to end of semester were substantially smaller than the initial decline

Target Learners¶

• First-semester university students in math-intensive study programs

Target Learning Goals¶

• Preventing motivational decline and course dropout in gateway math courses

Claims¶

• Course dropout was linked to lower SES, lower high school GPA, lower participation in preparatory math courses, and less adaptive initial motivations [+W]
• Students' expectancy, intrinsic value, and utility value decline significantly while perceived psychological and effort costs increase during the first half of gateway math courses [+W]
• Female students and students with lower prior achievement experienced more negative motivational changes [+W]
• Motivational changes in the first half of the semester predicted end-of-term study program satisfaction, exam performance, and course dropout [+W]
• Students experienced a motivational shock between Weeks 2 and 3 coinciding with first performance feedback on mandatory math worksheets [+W]
• Between 10% and 21% of students experienced significant declines in expectancy, intrinsic value, and utility value during the first half of the semester [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Daria Katharina Benden and Fani Lauermann. (2021). Students' Motivational Trajectories and Academic Success in Math-Intensive Study Programs: Why Short-Term Motivational Assessments Matter. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000708