Efficacy and Insights Gained from a Utility Value Intervention with Inorganic Chemistry Students

Utility value interventions (UVIs) are brief assignments designed to promote students' perceived utility value of the content they are learning. UVIs have been shown to improve students' academic performance in varying STEM courses; however, the use of UVIs in either chemistry courses or upper-level courses has not been well explored. This study evaluated a UVI in an upper-level chemistry course on student performance using an experimental design. Students were randomly assigned to either a utility value group or a content summary group. The first group received prompts asking students to describe the utility of what they are learning toward their career plans; the second group received prompts asking students to summarize what they are learning. Each student received three prompts over the semester and was tasked to write a short essay in response to each prompt. To evaluate the UVI, independent sample t tests were conducted on exam scores between the two groups, and effect sizes indicated that the UVI has no impact on one exam and a positive impact on two exams. In addition to the quantitative evaluation, the study qualitatively characterized student engagement in the intervention, namely how students' responses demonstrated an internalization of the perceived utility value of chemistry topics. The results suggest that the majority of students perceived a personal utility of chemistry topics as the intervention intended. Furthermore, students' responses provided details on their career plans, which can provide instructors' insight in designing curricula responsive to students' plans. In summary, enacting UVIs has low instructional costs and may benefit student performance and provide valuable insights for the instructors. Therefore, UVIs are recommended for consideration in instructional practices of upper-level chemistry courses.