Utility Value Intervention with Parents Increases Students' STEM Preparation and Career Pursuit

Utility Value Intervention with Parents Increases Students' STEM Preparation and Career Pursuit

The need for students trained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs is growing rapidly in the United States, yet students do not enroll in the necessary courses to prepare for STEM careers. In a randomized controlled trial, parents in the utility–value intervention group received materials detailing the importance of STEM for their adolescents in high school. The intervention increased mathematics and science ACT scores and course-taking in high school. This greater high-school STEM preparation was associated, 5 y later, with increased STEM career pursuit.

Promoting Interest and Performance in High School Science Classes

Promoting Interest and Performance in High School Science Classes

Can classroom activities that encourage students to connect course materials to their lives increase student motivation and learning? In a randomized field experiment with high school students, we found that a relevance intervention, which encouraged students to make connections between their lives and what they were learning in their science courses, increased interest in science and course grades for students with low success expectations. The results have implications for the development of science curricula and theories of motivation.