Effects of Novelty and Relevance on Interest: Moderating Role of Competence Belief

초록

Although interest is known to be driven by collative variables such as novelty and relevance, it may vary depending on individual differences. We examined whether the effects of these factors on interest were moderated by competence belief. Novelty and relevance were manipulated by providing additional novel (unusual and unexpected) or relevant (useful and familiar) information, and the manipulated text was presented before the main text. This study employed a 2 (competence level: high/low) x 3 (text condition: novelty/relevance/control) mixed factorial design in which competence and text condition were used as a between- and a within-subject variable, respectively. A total of 151 sixth graders read science expository texts and rated their interest. This study found a significant interaction effect in which both novelty and relevance enhanced interest only for students with a high level of competence. In contrast, neither increased the interest of students with low competence. These findings suggest that students’ competence level should be considered when designing a learning environment to enhance students’ interest.

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