Age differences in effects of self-generated utility among Black and Hispanic adolescents

This study tested the effects on interest and achievement of a classroom intervention in which students wrote about the utility of science. Participants were predominantly Black and Hispanic students in 7th and 9th grade (N = 268). The results suggest that the self-generated utility intervention may be fairly robust to differences in students' backgrounds, but is sensitive to age. Among seventh graders, the intervention promoted interest in science for students with high success expectancies. This is in contrast to prior research with high school students, and the pattern among ninth grade students in this study, showing somewhat more positive effects among students with low expectancies. Writing content varied by students' grade level and success expectancies in terms of focus (e.g. self) and temporality (e.g. future).