Situational interest in tertiary mathematics courses: Individual determinants and stimulation through value-explicating material
Final Report Abstract
High dropout rates in mathematics study programs indicate that many students do not successfully use learning opportunities. Recent research, e. g., studies in mathematics classrooms, assume that situational interest, as an interaction between person and situation, plays a substantial role for a successful use of learning opportunities. However, learning situations in a mathematics study program, when proving is the central activity, differ from school lessons, where applications are important. Thus, the aim of this project was to expand recent research concerning the role of situational interest to mathematics study programs and to answer the following questions: (1) Which personal characteristics do predict situational interest and in which way do situational interest relate to other experiences of the learning situation? (2) In which way does situational interest influence learning behaviour and success? We worked on these questions in two empirical studies concerning two learning situations. In the first, longitudinal study, focussing the learning situation “lecture”, 181students stated their situational interest in four lessons, three times a lesson. In the second, experimental study to the learning situation “tasks”, 149 students rated presented, mathematical tasks. In addition, we analysed in this second study, (3) in which way tasks with value-explication (in contrast to tasks without value-explication) do stimulate situational interest. These tasks with valueexplication are tasks in which a link between school and university mathematics occurs which seems to be relevant for teacher education students in particular. The results of both studies showed (1) that situational interest was strongly predicted by individual interest in university mathematics, teacher education students reported a weaker situational interest than other students and situational interest was related to experiences of autonomy and competence. (2) Situational interest was related to effort in both learning situations, weakly to learning success when dealing with tasks and to study satisfaction. Noticeable is that situational interest was only weakly related to effort and also other personal characteristics, such as individual interest and prior performance, explained only to a low degree why some students engaged more in learning situations than other students. (3) Students found the value-explication tasks more interesting than tasks without explications so that in a follow-up study, one could analyse the long-term effect when implementing these tasks. In addition, one can deeply analyse why some students engage more than other students, use learning opportunities successfully and thus are more successful in a mathematics study program.
Publications
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(2020). Attributionen von Mathematikstudierenden im ersten Semester. In H.-S. Siller, W. Weigel & J. F. Wörler (Hrsg.), Beiträge zum Mathematikunterricht 2020 (S. 737–740). WTM-Verlag
Rach, S.
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(2020). Relations between individual interest, experiences in learning situations and situational interest. In M. Inprasitha, N. Changsri & N. Boonsena (Hrsg.), InterimProceedings of the 44th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (S. 466-474). PME
Rach, S.
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(2021). Stability of task values in a university mathematics course. EARLI-online-conference
Rach, S. & Retelsdorf, J.
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(2022). Aufgaben zur Verknüpfung von Schul- und Hochschulmathematik: Haben derartige Aufgaben Auswirkungen auf das Interesse von Lehramtsstudierenden? In V. Isaev, A. Eichler & F. Loose, Professionsorientierte Fachwissenschaft – Kohärenzstiftende Lerngelegenheiten für das Lehramtsstudium. Springer Verlag
Rach, S.
