“Was that interesting?” & “Does it matter?”: The implications of on-task learning experiences

• Published in: Studies in educational evaluation Vol. 76; p. 101230
• Main Authors: Fryer, Luke K., Zeng, Lily M., Shum, Alex, Ho, Charlene C., Wong, Chi-Wing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2023
• Subjects: Interest development; Micro-analytic; Mobile assessment; PLS-SEM; Interest development; Mobile assessment; Micro-analytic; PLS-SEM
• ISSN: 0191-491X; 1879-2529
• DOI: 10.1016/j.stueduc.2022.101230

Interest is a critical fuel for and outcome of learning. Building on and refocusing the Four-Phase Model of interest development, this study provides a window into the ecology of the learning experience and interest it generates. This research uses a novel mobile assessment platform to test learning experiences in three university courses (Organic chemistry, biochemistry, and introduction to physics for non-majors) and pilots a micro-analytic approach to capturing these experiences during lectures/tutorials. Students' interest in tasks, a single class, and the domain of study were collected with short surveys through an online mobile platform during class, immediately following task experiences. Latent variance-based modelling suggested strong forward connections between interest in most tasks. The connections between prior knowledge and interest with a future interest in course tasks varied strongly and were dependent on the nature of the tasks. The nuance of these connections and their implications for mobile assessment are discussed.
•Four micro-analytic studies in university STEM courses students' interest and prior knowledge.•PLS-SEM tested longitudinal interconnects: knowledge, Domain interest, Course interest and Task interest.•Interest in tasks were strongly and differently impacted by prior knowledge and Domain interest.