2 research outputs found

    Predictors of recall and reading time for seductive and nonseductive text segments

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    This correlational study explored how concreteness, relevance, importance, and interestingness related to the recall of seductive details and base text, while controlling for text coherence, and student background knowledge. Previous research has provided evidence for the significant relationship between these variables and the seductive details effect in particular and text recall in general. However, this is the first study to consider all these variables simultaneously. A group of 68 undergraduates read an expository text on lightning formation, performed an immediate test on free recall, and rated each text sentence for concreteness, relevance, importance, and interestingness. A simple regression analysis revealed that only interest significantly improved students\u27 recall of seductive sentences. However, none of the four ratings or the reading time predicted recall of base text sentences. Results regarding reading time demonstrated that seductive sentences were read faster than base text sentences. Strong positive correlation was revealed between relevance and importance. This result indicated that in the absence of explicit relevance instruction, relevance and importance could be used interchangeably. Significant positive correlation was revealed between concreteness and interest. However, this correlation was lower than expected. This result was interpreted in the light of Dual Coding Theory

    Comparing the Effects of Two Utility Value Interventions on Graduate Students\u27 Interest, Performance, and Perceptions of Utility Value

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    The present study compares the immediate and delayed effects of teacher- vs. student-generated utility value interventions on students\u27 interest, performance, and perceptions of utility value. In addition, it examines whether sense of autonomy mediates the relationship between type of utility value intervention and performance. The study is grounded in self-determination theory and expectancy-value theory and adopts a 3x3 mixed model design, with random assignment of participants to two relevance instruction conditions and a control condition. Findings suggest that the teacher-generated utility value intervention was more effective than the student-generated utility value intervention and the control condition in terms of increased performance and utility value. Furthermore, all students demonstrated significant increases on all dependent variables on the immediate post-test compared to the pre-test. The increased scores remained stable across time, with the exception of utility value, which dropped significantly from immediate to delayed post-test. Finally, the results indicate that autonomy did not mediate the effects of the utility value interventions on effort and performance. Educational implications and directions for future research are discussed
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