Engendering situational interest through innovative instruction in an engineering classroom: what really mattered?

Instructors often try out innovative interventions (INTRs) in their classrooms to promote student engagement and learning interest. While such efforts are commendable, thinking through how individual and environmental characteristics influence interest development in learners is crucial to meeting such teaching objectives. In this study, we examined the role of personal interest, students' perceptions of meaningfulness (MNG) and the instructional utility of an innovative hands-on learning module in the development of triggered and maintained situational interests in an engineering classroom that used hands-on learning modules. Participants were undergraduate students enrolled in an engineering classroom who were taught fluid mechanics concepts using an innovative instructional approach. Results of the study indicate that the instructional INTR and the MNG learning material were significant predictors of situational interest. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.