Research Information System
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY, vol.44, no.12, pp.11799-11813, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
This study investigated the impact of utility value intervention on middle school students' personal interest and utility value in science. Using a quasi-experimental design, 95 seventh-grade students were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received curriculum-oriented instruction supported by utility value intervention, while the control group received curriculum-oriented instruction alone. Both groups were assessed using pre- and post-tests. Although the utility value intervention did not significantly impact these variables, the findings revealed a significant decrease in interest and utility value when classes were taught only with curriculum-oriented instruction. However, students' existing personal interest and utility value in science was maintained when utility value intervention supported the instruction. Qualitative data indicated that experimental group students found the content more relevant and attributed their increased interest to the intervention. Both control and experimental group students believed that activity-enriched science instruction could boost their interest. Additionally, concerning students' articulated utility values, results revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups, favoring the experimental group. These findings suggest that while the utility value intervention did not significantly influence personal interest or task value beliefs in short term, it has potential to make science content more engaging and relevant.