Promoting Situational Interest in Computer Science Classroom: A Utility Intervention Approach

Mastery of computer science and computational reasoning emerges as an essential skill for every student. Experts recommend increasing the focus on computer science studies due to their crucial role in the future, recognizing its pivotal role in early learning. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of a utility-based intervention on enhancing middle school students' interest in computer science. This study adopted a utility value intervention method to improve students' situational interest in computer science within a formal setting. The study investigated how a utility intervention changes students' interests in the content, employing a pretest-posttest control group design. For convenience, random assignment to experimental and control groups was administered at the classroom level. The study used surveys to explore students' individual and situational interests and their plans in computer science both before and after the study. The sample included 149 middle school students attending a public school. The intervention, designed within the interest development theory, incorporated weekly informal writing tasks to prompt students to reflect on class topics and their practical applications. The goal was to explore the capacity for encouraging interest development within the context of Hidi and Renninger's (2016) theoretical model. Using repeated measures ANOVA, the analysis showed significant changes in situational interest within the intervention group and an increase in individual interest across both control and intervention groups, while future plans remained stable. The findings support previous research on the role of prior knowledge and its relationship with situational and individual interests. The paper elaborates on the implications of these outcomes.