How individual interest influences situational interest and how both are related to knowledge acquisition: A microanalytical investigation

The extent to which a student experiences situational interest during a learning task is dependent on at least two factors: (1) external stimuli in the learning environment that arouse interest and (2) internal dispositions, such as individual interest. The objective of the present study was to disentangle how both factors influence situational interest during task engagement. Two data sets were collected from primary school science (N = 186) and secondary school history students (N = 71). Path analysis was used to examine the influence of individual interest on seven situational interest measurements and knowledge acquisition. The results suggest that individual interest has only a significant influence on situational interest at the beginning of a task and then its influence fades. In addition, individual interest is not a significant predictor of learning. Only situational interest predicts knowledge acquisition. Implications of these findings for interest research are discussed.     

Interest development: Arousing situational interest affects the growth trajectory of individual interest

Interest has become a central topic in the educational-psychology literature and Hidi and Renninger’s (2006) four-phase model of interest development is its most recent manifestation. However, this model presently enjoys only limited empirical support. To contribute to our understanding of how individual interest in a subject develops in learners, two studies were conducted with primary school science students. The first study (N = 187) tested the assumption that repeated arousal of situational interest affects the growth of individual interest. Latent growth curve modeling was applied and the results suggest that the arousal of situational interest has a positive effect on the development of individual interest and significantly influences its growth trajectory. The second study tested the assumption that engaging students with interest-provoking didactic stimuli, such as problems, is critical to triggering situational interest and increasing individual interest. To test this assumption, four classes of primary school students (N = 129) were randomly assigned to two conditions in a quasi-experimental setup. The treatment condition received four situational-interest-inducing science problems as part of a course whereas the control condition did not, all other things being equal. The results of latent growth curve modeling revealed that only the group receiving problems experienced repeated arousal of situational interest and its related growth in individual interest. Implications for, and amendments to, the four-phase model of interest development are proposed.     

How situational interest affects individual interest in a STEAM competition

ABSTRACT

Interest in educational research can be categorised into situational interest (SI) and individual interest (II); the sequential phases of interest development for learning have long been recognised as triggered SI, maintained SI, emerging II, and well-developed II. This study proposes an interest development model which involves SI and II mentally developed during students’ preparation for and participation in annual ‘PowerTech’ STEAM contests in Taiwan. In July 2015, data were first collected to examine students’ triggered SI, and 4 months later in the world contest to examine the local contest winning students’ maintained SI. Also, during the contest, data were collected on-site to examine the students’ emerging II. Finally, the same measurement tool was administered again for the world contest winning students 2 months later in February 2016. The results of this study showed that triggered SI is positively related to maintained SI. Maintained SI is positively related to emerging II, but it is not significantly related to well-developed II. Emerging II is positively related to well-developed II. The implication of this finding is that a well-designed competition may raise students’ SI so that emerging II and well-developed II could mature due to the effect of maintained SI.     

The relation between individual interest and knowledge acquisition

The objective of this study was to examine how individual interest and knowledge acquisition are causally related. Three hypotheses were tested using a cross‐lagged panel analysis (N = 186) and two quasi‐experimental studies (N = 68 and N = 108) involving students from schools in Singapore. The first hypothesis is the broadly shared standard assumption on the relation between individual interest and knowledge: the more an individual is interested in a topic, the more (s)he is willing to engage in learning. An alternative hypothesis assumes that individual interest is not the cause but the consequence of the process of learning: individual interest as an affective by‐product of learning. Finally, a third possibility is that interest and knowledge influence each other reciprocally. The results supported the affective‐by‐product hypothesis. Our findings seem at variance with commonly held conceptions that being interested guides knowledge attainment. The implications of these findings for interest research are discussed.     

学生学习英语兴趣的激发和培养

许多同学对于英语学科感觉难以把握,兴趣不高,成绩提升缓慢,而要解决这一问题,首先要通过课内外丰富多彩的教学手段,激发和培养学生对于该学科的兴趣,还要帮助学生制定恰当的目标,树立学好英语的信心。在主观努力并掌握一定学习方法的基础上,相信对于英语学科的畏惧会大大降低,甚至在成绩提高的同时产生浓厚的兴趣。     

Exploring the nature of the relation between interest and comprehension

This paper examines the complex relation between interest and comprehension recorded by postgraduate students in a language teacher education programme at various stages of two-hour lectures. The quantitative analysis suggests that its relationship with comprehension changes as the lecture continues. The analysis is also triangulated with the qualitative responses reported by students at different stages of the lecture. The type of comprehension that co-occurs with increasing interest differs from the type of comprehension that co-occurs with maintaining interest. Although the effect of comprehension on interest is low at the beginning of the lecture, its effect is more frequently noted as important at the later stages of the lecture. Postdictability (i.e., the ability to determine after the fact that unpredictability and difficulty that have been raised in the earlier parts of the lecture hang together and make sense) seems important in increasing interest, especially at the later stages of the lecture.     

Situational interest,cognitive engagement,and achievement in physical education

Students’ learning has been the center of schooling. This study examined the contribution of situational interest motivation and cognitive engagement in workbooks to student achievement in learning health-related fitness knowledge. Situational interest, performance on solving workbook problems, and knowledge gain in cardio-respiratory fitness and benefits were measured in 670 third-grade students from 13 randomly selected urban elementary schools. Structural equation modeling and regression curve estimation analyses revealed that situational interest contributed little to workbook performance and knowledge gain. Performance on solving workbook problems contributed significantly to knowledge gain. The results also show that skipping workbook tasks had stronger negative impact on knowledge gain than performing the tasks incorrectly, suggesting the importance of engaging students in the learning process by attempting the workbook tasks. The findings reinforced the value of using workbooks to facilitate cognitive knowledge learning in physical education, but raised questions about the direct function of situational interest on engaging students in cognitive learning.     

Bored with the core: stimulating student interest in online general education

Motivating students to learn in general education courses, particularly in an online environment, is a challenge for many colleges and universities. A general education curriculum, by definition, is wide-ranging in its scope of topics, disciplines, and applications, but many students enter college with specific personal interests or affinities for particular areas of academic study. This interest gap between individual student interests and general education offerings is frequently expressed by students in their desire to “get the core courses out of the way.” For those institutions that appreciate the role that a general education curriculum plays in providing students with a holistic liberal arts education, this “get them out of the way” attitude must be addressed. Through the application of text-based situational interest research, and creative writing principles and techniques to instructional design, this article offers educators theoretical insights and practical ways to stimulate student interest in online general education courses.     

Effects of cognitive demand on situational interest and running task performances

This study examined the effect of cognitive demand on situational interest and performance using running tasks in physical education. Adolescents (N = 179) participated in a field study involving three different levels of cognitive demand. Running performances and situational interest were measured four times with a testing interval of seven days. Results from multivariate analyses of covariance suggested that cognitive demand had a significant effect on situational interest and running performances. Higher cognitive demand led to higher levels of situational interest. Situational interest was weakly or moderately correlated with running performances (|r| = .17?.40), yet students reported significantly lower performance when the perceived interest was the highest. These findings suggest the importance of designing instructional tasks with moderate cognitive demand to optimally preserve situational interest and performance in physical education. The findings also help further conceptualise the relations among cognitive demand, situational interest and performance.     

美国正念禅修的心理学化实证研究

在美国禅宗的本土化过程中,"心理学化"是一种非常重要的现象。近三十年来,随着正念禅修技术在心理治疗领域中的广泛应用,各种正念疗法被不断地开发出来,其确然的积极疗效引发了临床心理学家与实验心理学家的关注,出现了大量关于正念禅修的心理机制及脑生理机制的实证探索。尽管这些研究成绩斐然,但都未曾触及正念禅修的本质,对此,尚需进一步的深化研究。     

The role of teachers in facilitating situational interest in an active-learning classroom

The study sought to explore whether interactional teacher characteristics such as social congruence, subject-matter expertise, and cognitive congruence increase situational interest in students. Correlational and path analyses were conducted on a sample of 498 polytechnic students to assess potential differences in situational interest based on these three teacher characteristics and how well these characteristics predicted situational interest. Results revealed that students supported by teachers who scored high on these characteristics reported significantly higher levels of situational interest. Cognitive congruence was the most significant predictor of situational interest. Overall, the findings suggest that teachers play an influential role in increasing students’ situational interest in the active-learning classroom.     

翻译法与情景教学法在法语教学过程中的运用

在外语教学的过程中,教师们都竭尽全力培育出一批听说读写译能力样样都兼备的学生,那么,是否有一种方式能够满足这个教师和社会的共同期待呢?本文主要从翻译法和情景教学法两方面来分析它们在教学过程中的利与弊。     

The Role of Supervisors' and Supervisees' Mindfulness in Clinical Supervision

The authors explored whether supervisor and supervisee self‐ratings of mindfulness (N = 72 supervision pairs) predicted perceptions of the supervisory relationship and session dynamics. Only supervisor self‐ratings of mindfulness predicted their own ratings of the supervisory relationship and session dynamics.     

Seven place-conscious methods to stimulate situational interest in science teaching in urban environments

In this study, we explored how teachers can take advantage of a ‘place’ in urban environments outside the school and thereby stimulate pupils’ situational interest in science teaching. Drawing on the Sophos research method, we conducted a single case study including film-elicited interviews. The data consisted of transcribed interviews with 4 experienced teachers and 11 pupils. The interviews were elicited by films showing group work in science teaching in urban environments: a parking lot, a green public park and a zoo. We conducted individual interviews with science teachers, while the interviews with pupils were carried out in small groups. To analyse our data, we applied a hermeneutic content analysis. We identified seven place-conscious teaching methods that have the potential to stimulate pupils’ situational interest. These methods included: (1) handling objects; (2) integrating new places; (3) alignment between the environment and task; (4) integrating minimal cultivated places; (5) providing a science perspective on everyday places; (6) disseminating historical or cultural knowledge of places; and (7) surprises. Starting from a discussion drawing on studies that explored triggers of pupils’ situational interest, we argue that science teachers can draw on these seven place-conscious methods to stimulate interest in science teaching in urban environments.     

情景教学于大学英语课堂的应用

随着社会多元化发展,当代的大学英语教育正面临诸多挑战,其中最为严峻的就是如何提高非英语专业学生学习英语的兴趣和提高大学英语课堂效率。在大学英语课堂教学中采用情景教学法,使学生身临其境不但有利于创造轻松愉快的课堂气氛,并且可以调动学生的积极性,激发学生学习的动机,从而对英语学习产生浓厚的兴趣,进而提高大学英语课堂效率。     

生理教学中应用情境教学模式的研究

为提高生理学授课效率和教学质量,激发同学的学习兴趣,探讨了在生理学教学中创设并应用情境教学模式的科学性、原则、方法及应用效果。     

Representation visuals' impacts on science interest and reading comprehension of adolescent English learners

This experimental study explored the impact of representation + glossary label visuals on science outcomes in a sample of 174 Grade 7 English learners (ELs). Analysis of covariance results indicated that, regardless of English proficiency, ELs in both treatment and control conditions performed similarly on reading comprehension (p = .26) and triggered interest (p = .65) measures, with a trend in means favoring the no-visuals, control group. These findings suggest that, although recommended by the literature, representation + glossary label visuals for ELs may be associated with deleterious (seductive details) rather than beneficial (dual coding) effects. Additional research is needed on higher-level visuals (organization, interpretation, transformation) to identify visual accommodations most effective in supporting ELs' science learning. Regression analysis results indicated that triggered situational interest predicted science reading comprehension above and beyond English language proficiency, suggesting the importance of instructionally stimulating this interest type. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Mindfulness,coping self-efficacy and foreign language anxiety: a mediation analysis

This study sought to explore the relationship between mindfulness, coping self-efficacy (CSE) and foreign language anxiety (FLA) among a sample of 295 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Further, the capacity of CSE in mediating the relationship between mindfulness and FLA was tested. The participants were administered self-reported questionnaires. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised. The results of SEM analysis showed that higher levels of mindfulness were associated with lower levels of FLA and greater CSE. In addition, it was found that CSE could partially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and FLA. Implications are discussed.     

浅谈中学数学教学中情境创设

问题教学情境的创设应生动直观、富于启发、善于运用直观演示、实验探索、多媒体技术、趣味实例、知识复习、制造悖论，反思析题等手段，把抽象的问题具体化，深奥的道理形象化，枯燥的知识趣味化，为学生发现问题和探究创造条件。     

浅谈高校古筝情景教学

古筝是我们传统音乐中较为典型的乐器之一,如何提高高校古筝教学水平对于传承和发展我国传统音乐具有极其重要的意义。本文试图在分析研究当前高校古筝教学模式中存在的问题的基础上,将情景教学法引入到高校古筝教学之中,意在为提高我国高校古筝教学水平提供一些合理的建议。