Various motivational frameworks converge to suggest that highlighting the relevance of a learning activity yields benefits for students' learning and performance. Herein, we review a set of studies grounded in self-determination theory's distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic goals, which show that the beneficial effect of a learning activity's utility value should be nuanced. Specifically, this effect depends on the particular goal that activity is thought to serve, such that intrinsic goal framing enhances learning and performance, whereas extrinsic goal framing does not. Such effects emerge regardless of students' personal goal preferences. Overall, this research suggests that teachers might do well to consider the content of the promoted goal when highlighting the utility value of a learning activity.