A Short-Term Utility-Value Intervention with First-Year University Students: Effects on Learning Goals|EFFETTI DI UN INTERVENTO A BREVE TERMINE SUL VALORE PERCEPITO DELL'UTILITÀ SUGLI OBIETTIVI DI APPRENDIMENTO NEGLI STUDENTI UNIVERSITARI DEL PRIMO ANNO

Perceiving any form ofvalue in each activity significantly enhances an individuals'moti-vation to engage in that activity. Prompting students to reflect on how course content relates to their personal experiences is expected to elevate perceived utility value. The present study investigated the effectiveness of a utility-value intervention (U /I) implemented throughout the duration of an introductory General Psychology course for first-year university students. To assess the impact of the intervention, changes in students ' learning goals were measured before and after the course and compared with a control group that was asked only to summarize the lesson content. The present data indicate that students in the U /I condition demonstrated a significant increase in mastery-oriented learning goals from the beginning to the end of the course. No such change was observed in the control group. These findings are consistent with prior research demonstrating the positive effects of value-based educational interventions on academic engagement.