Why does ”why” matter? The importance of meaning in teaching

For many instructors, the relevance and importance of what they teach is rather obvious. After all, this is one of the main reasons many of us do what we do. But we cannot assume that our students see the purpose and relevance of course materials, especially in some disciplines. For example, while biology instructors understand the importance of cell theory for disease treatment and prevention, and public health generally, these connections are not always immediately clear for students. Helping students make these connections can be important, as they can increase motivation to learn and even spark interest than can ignite a lifelong passion. A new guide for instructors, described in a recent article in CBE – Life Sciences Education, presents evidence for the positive effects of teaching strategies that promote purpose and relevance, and a wide range of evidence-based suggestions for how to help students find personal relevance in the classroom. This is particularly important in the life sciences, where students can focus on technical knowledge and struggle to see the broader relevance of what they are studying; in fact, this is one factor that contributes to student attrition. This can also be especially important for students from marginalized backgrounds who may have had limited opportunities to see the relevance of science learning in their own lives. With this background, biology reseachers in the US created an evidence-based guide that presents strategies for integrating purpose and meaning into teaching. The guide is informed by theories of motivation and features concrete suggestions for sparking and maintaining student interest by infusing purpose and relevance in a range of course materials such as lectures, assignments, and research communications. In addition, the guide also addresses common misperceptions about discussing purpose and relevance in the classroom and evidence on which students might most benefit from strategies.

As the authors note, incorporating relevance and importance into teaching involves more than providing the occasional example. The paper describes several strategies for integrating purpose and relevance into teaching, with more detail and additional strategies provided in the full online guide. The most straightforward instructional strategy, and one that most of us already do to different degrees, involves providing specific examples to help students see how a topic is relevant for society and/or local communities. Because it can be difficult, if not impossible, to create examples that connect with every student, the guide suggests creating assignments designed to help students make their own connections. The authors suggest a combination of in-class activities, such as group discussions focused on the broader relevance of the material, and written assignments that give students more time for reflection. A particularly promising type of assignment is a utility-value intervention, in which students make connections between course material and their personal goals. At a larger scale, curricular design strategies are also effective in promoting purpose and relevance. One example is service learning assignments, which allow students to work with or help others and which can be made specific to local issues. Independent of specific strategies, the authors highlight the importance of creating opportunities for personal connections that are student-generated and linked to specific course content.

The authors discuss several motivational theories of learning, drawn from different research literatures, that support the idea that purpose and relevance are important (e.g., “Why is this important and why should I learn this?”). For example, expectancy-value theory suggests that students are more engaged when they believe they can succeed and when they find value in the task in relation to perceived costs. This perception of value is especially important, and evidence suggests that creating personal connections, such as to a student's cultural background, is particularly motivating. Another important perspective comes from interest theory, which describes the process by which momentary “situational interest” deepens into “well-developed individual interest.” Again evidence points to the importance of creating moments of purpose and relevance in teaching, as students are more likely to develop enduring interest when they experience such moments.

Importantly, as purpose and relevance are particularly important to boost motivation among first-generation and underrepresented minority students, the guide also includes an important section discussing for whom these strategies might be most beneficial. The authors highlight the importance of culturally relevant science pedagogy and emphasizing the value of science in helping people and contributing to society.

Comment: While this guide may be particularly valuable for science instructors, it is broad enough to be valuable for a wide range of disciplines. Perhaps what I found most valuable myself is the combination of familiar strategies and inspiring new ideas. Many of the suggested strategies are consistent with what many of my colleagues and I already try to do in our courses, thus reinforcing an important aspect of our teaching practice. At the same time, the guide has led me to consider how I might be able to build on what I already do in ways that should further improve student motivation. I often use my own personal examples in class and solicit examples from students, but rarely as an individual writing assignment; thanks to this guide I am now considering adding short written assignments. Many courses in the Psychology Department already use service learning assignments, such as school observations and case studies involving interviewing community members, but in my courses they are typically group assignments where students reflect on purpose and relevance in seminars. I am now considering introducing a two-part written assignment in which students briefly reflect on these issues before the assignment and then summarize how the consistent the experience was with their expectations after the assignment. Hopefully you will also find inspiration in this purposeful and relevant guide, which you can find here: Purpose and Relevance Evidence-Based Teaching Guide

Text: Eric Pakulak, Department of Psychology

The Study
Thoman, D. B., Sutter, C. C., Smith, J. L., & Hulleman, C. S. (2025). Helping students see and identify purpose and relevance in life sciences courses. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 24(3), fe4.

Keywords: student motivation, meaningful learning, evidence-based teaching, guide