Who sticks to the instructions—and does it matter? Antecedents and effects of students’ responsiveness to a classroom-based motivation intervention

Why do some students benefit from interventions and others do not? By investigating the antecedents and effects of students’ responsiveness to a classroom-based motivation intervention, the current study aims to shed light on the intervention processes that make educational interventions in real-life settings work. Using data from a cluster-randomized controlled experiment with 1916 ninth-grade students, students’ responsiveness to two written intervention activities about the personal relevance of mathematics (evaluating quotations or writing a text) was assessed. Based on the hypothesized theory of change, 1280 student essays were coded on three indicators of responsiveness (positive arguments, personal connections, in-depth reflections) which were combined into a continuous index. Linear regression analyses showed that students’ conscientiousness, gender, math-related motivation, and achievement predicted the responsiveness index. This research highlights the importance of investigating intervention processes in order to optimize the theories and designs of classroom interventions