The Effects of Context-Rich Problems on Motivation and Learning in Mechanical Physics

This study examines the effects of the pedagogical use of context-rich problems on motivation and learning, as compared to traditional problems, in mechanical physics courses at the college level. The results indicate that the treatment has appreciable outcomes on conceptual learning gain, on the perception of task value and on a perceived sense of competence. Moreover, the affected motivational variables exhibit a considerable positive correlation with learning gain. A linear regression analysis shows that the best predictors of learning gain are perceived sense of competence and interest. The former acts as the main learning gain predictor when the theme of the problem is imposed by the teacher, whereas the latter becomes the best predictor when students can choose the theme among different possibilities, situations that seem to be more conducive to learning gain. Therefore, offering a choice of themes, while using context-rich problems, appears to increase the students’ emotional reactions, making this pedagogical device a promising tool for achieving learning gains.