Student interest: A two-study re-examination of the concept

Abstract

Two studies were conducted for the purpose of validating an 18-item version of the Learner Empowerment Scale (LES) as a measure of student interest. The LES consists of three subscales that measure students’ perceptions of meaningfulness, impact, and feelings of competence. These three constructs are frequently identified by education researchers as dimensions of student interest. In Study One, there were no differences between the psychometric qualities of the 18-item measure and the 29-item measure. Additionally, the relationships between the two versions with measures of student motivation did not differ significantly from each other. In Study Two, relationships were explored between the three dimensions of the 18-item LES and students’ motives for communicating with their instructors. The results of these two studies provide preliminary reliability and validity for the shortened version of the LES as a measure of student interest.

Keywords:

• Student Interest
• Learner Empowerment
• Meaningfulness
• Motivation
• Affective Learning
• Communication Motives

Notes

Keith Weber (Ed.D., West Virginia University, 1998) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University, 108 Armstrong Hall, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA (Tel: [phone]; Email: [email protected]). Matthew M. Martin (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1992) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University. Jacob L. Cayanus (M.A., West Virginia University, 2002) is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jacob L. Cayanus

Keith Weber (Ed.D., West Virginia University, 1998) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University, 108 Armstrong Hall, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA (Tel: [phone]; Email: [email protected]). Matthew M. Martin (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1992) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University. Jacob L. Cayanus (M.A., West Virginia University, 2002) is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication Studies at West Virginia University.