Uncovering the Relationship Between Technology-Enhanced, Adaptive Teaching and Situational Interest in Mathematics in a Randomized Controlled Trial

Previous research has shown that students’ interest typically declines across secondary school, likely resulting from a mismatch between their needs and the school environment. Technology-enhanced adaptive teaching may allow teachers to better tailor their instruction to students’ needs, including students’ interests; thus, this approach may be promising in this regard. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the associations between equipping students and their teachers with tablet computers (1:1 technology), student-perceived adaptive teaching, and students' situational interest. We used questionnaire data (i.e., from two measurement points: t ₀  = baseline; t ₁  = 4 months later) from the longitudinal project tabletBW meets science from 2,601 students (Grade 7, Gymnasium, Germany) attending 28 schools. Fourteen schools were randomly chosen to be given 1:1 technology (i.e., tablet computers for teachers and students; intervention condition). The other 14 randomly chosen schools were not given such equipment (control condition). We assessed how students' situational interest in mathematics was associated with the use of tablet computers (intervention vs. control) and student-perceived adaptive teaching. Results from multilevel models showed that the 1:1 technology had a statistically significant effect on students' situational interest, partly mediated by student-perceived adaptive teaching. Moreover, knowing that students' interest in math declines in adolescence, our results indicate that equipping classrooms with technology might offer a promising way to implement more adaptive lessons that have the potential to provide the appropriate degree of challenge to students and thus spark their interest in mathematics.