Relevance for Learning and Motivation in Education

Questions of educational relevance have surfaced frequently among educators, philosophers, and social scientists for centuries. Recently motivation scientists have reinvigorated such questions and are directing considerable empirical attention to develop interventions to help students make connections between what they do in school and their lives. These intervention efforts have had mixed results, and in response researchers have pointed to the need for increased clarity around the construct of relevance: what it means and how it should theoretically relate to academic motivation and achievement. In this introduction, a brief history of interdisciplinary perspectives on educational relevance and overview of emerging views among researchers in education and psychology.