Improving Community College Students’ Success in Math: Findings From Two Utility-Value Studies

Abstract

Although designed to prepare students for future coursework or to fulfill basic degree requirements, introductory math courses often serve as barriers to student success. In two double-blind randomized field experiments, we tested the efficacy of a utility-value intervention on improving community college students’ perceived math relevance and achievement in introductory math courses. Building upon prior research, we examined whether the intervention particularly benefited first-generation and racially marginalized students. Study 1 (N = 696) was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and within in-person classrooms, whereas Study 2 (N = 1,318) was conducted during the pandemic and within virtual learning environments. Across Studies 1 and 2, students in the utility-value condition benefited more in terms of their perceived relevance compared to their peers in the control condition. Additionally, in both studies, math relevance mediated the effects of the intervention on math grades. In Study 2, with a larger sample, the positive effect of the intervention on math relevance was more pronounced for first-generation students. Our findings imply that community colleges could significantly improve students’ academic experiences by investing in motivation-enhancing activities such as utility-value interventions in introductory math courses. This strategy could especially help first-generation students’ academic achievement and retention rates.