Representing one of the influential motivational variables on learning, interest includes both cognitive and affective components, arising from the interplay between an individual and a particular content and environment (Dewey, 1913; Hidi, Renninger, and Krapp, 2004). According to Hidi & Renninger (2004), interest can develop from situational to individual interest and be strengthened along with external support. On the basis of their propositions, this report explores how student interest may be intensified by enhancing cognitive facets of interest through the teacher’s instructional support. From the perspective of self-determination theory (SDT), support for autonomy as a contextual factor has been reported as a catalyst for student interest and engagement. In particular, Stefanou, Perencevich, DiCintio, and Turner (2004) stressed the importance of cognitive autonomy support as an instructional support in terms of deep-level thinking and cognitive engagement in comparison to other types of autonomy support such as by providing students choice in class. This report explores how different levels and types of student interest are associated with different types of autonomy support in an educational setting, focusing on cognitive aspects. Using a path analysis, this paper presents a full model to undergird a study of the direct and indirect relationships between student interest, different types of autonomy support, and cognitive engagement. / text

Field trips are a basic and important, yet often overlooked part of the student experience. They provide the opportunity to integrate real world knowledge with classroom learning and student previous personal experiences. Outdoor guided field trips leave students with an increased understanding, awareness and interest and in science. However, the benefits of this experience are ambiguous at best (Falk and Balling, 1982; Falk and Dierking, 1992; Kisiel, 2006. Students on an outdoor guided field trip to a local nature park experienced a significant increase in their understanding of the rock cycle. The changes in the pre-field trip test and the post-field trip test as well as their answers in interviews showed a profound change in the students’ understanding and in their interest in the subject matter. The use of the “student’s voice” (Bamberger and Tal, 2008) was the motivation for data analysis. By using the students’ voice, I was able to determine the mechanisms that might influence their understanding of a subject. The central concepts emerging from the data were: the outdoor setting; the students’ interest; the social interaction. From these central concepts, a conceptual model was developed. The outdoor setting allows for the freedom to explore, touch, smell and movement. This, in turn, leads to an increased interest in subject matter. As the students are exploring, they are enjoying themselves and become more open to learning. Interest leads to a desire to learn (Dewey, 1975). In addition to allowing the freedom to explore and move, the outdoor setting creates the condition for social interaction. The students talk to each other as they walk; they have in-depth discourse regarding the subject matter -- with the teachers, each other and with the guides. The guides have an extremely important role in the students’ learning. The more successful guides not only act as experts, but also adjust to the students’ needs and act or speak accordingly. The interconnections of these three concepts-- the outdoor setting, the students’ interest, the social interaction - worked to provide the mechanisms by which the students increased their understanding of the rock cycle. / text

Detta examensarbete har ämnat undersöka vilka ämnesområden inom naturvetenskap och teknik som elever i årskurs 4–6 är särskilt intresserade av samt undersöka deras upplevelse av NO-undervisningen i skolan. Eleverna har fått ställa egna frågor om naturvetenskap och teknik och dessa har kategoriserats utifrån ett antal olika ämnesområden. Detta examensarbete har funnit svaga tendenser till att elever i årskurs fyra klassar sin undervisning som roligare än elever i årskurs fem och sex. De mest populära kategorierna bland eleverna är frågor som rör anatomi och fysiologi, universum, Big bang och stjärnformation, kemiska reaktioner samt kemi överlag. Skillnader i kön inkluderar ett större intresse för kemi hos dem som identifierat sig som tjejer och ett större intresse för elektricitet och magnetism hos killar. Intresset för att genomföra laborationer inom kemin samt frågor som rör biologi är stora hos båda könen och frågor som rör reproduktion och genetik är vanligare hos tjejerna.Resultaten visar på att det finns ett antal ämnesområden som kan vara särskilt framgångsrika att inkludera i undervisningen för att fånga elevers intresse. Mer forskning behöver göras för att tydligare kunna identifiera potentiella samband mellan elevers intresse för särskilda ämnesområden och andra variabler såsom ålder, intresse för undervisningen och socio-ekonomisk status. / This student’s thesis aims to examine year 4-6 students’ interest in their science education as well as determine what subject matter connected to science and technology is of interest to the same students. Through a survey the students have formulated their own questions about science and technology which have hen been categorised according to subject matter as well as been asked to rate their enjoyment of their science instruction. This student’s thesis has found slight indications that the interest in science education declines between grade four and five to then remain constant throughout year five and six. The most common categories among the students’ questions are those concerning anatomy and physiology, the universe, big bang and the origin of the universe and stars as well as chemical reactions and experiments and chemistry overall. Gender differences include a larger interest for chemistry among those who’ve identified themselves as girls and a bigger interest in electricity and technology among boys. The interest in chemical reactions and experiments is even between the genders and questions about reproduction and genetics is much more common from girls than boys.The results of this study show that there is a number of subject that have the potential to be especially successful in capturing the students’ attention and interest. More research has to be done to more clearly identify possible correlations between interest in certain categories and other factors such as age, grade, performance, interest in school and socio-economic status.

Student intellectual stimulation, interest, and engagement within the college classroom is of great importance when attempting to heighten learning, both cognitively and affectively. Although scholars have examined predictors of student interest and engagement within the classroom setting, it has yet to be examined in correlation with an instructor’s use of humor. More specifically, student intellectual stimulation is rarely studied on its own, especially in relation to an instructor’s humor orientation. This study seeks to determine if an instructors humor orientation acts a predictor of student intellectual stimulation, engagement, and interest within the college classroom setting. This study obtained data from a sample of 337 full-time college students at two Northern California Universities. Data was collected through a self-administered paper and pencil questionnaire. Six sections of the questionnaire subsequently measured students’ perceptions of an instructor’s humor orientation, student intellectual stimulation, student interest, student engagement, demographic information on the participant, as well as the instructor that they were reporting on. The Humor Orientation scale was used to measure the dimensions of the instructor’s humor use within the classroom. The Student Intellectual Stimulation Scale (SISS) was used to examine the instructors use of intellectual stimulation within the classroom. Last, the student Interest and Engagement scales were utilized to measure the how interested and engaged students were within the reported course. This study found a statistically significant positive relationship amongst an instructors use of humor orientation and their ability to intellectually stimulate, engage, and interest students within the course. More specifically, an instructors use of humor within the classroom acted as a predictor to students being more intellectually stimulated, interested, and engaged within that given course. Furthermore, this study is of significance because it suggests that an instructor that uses humor within the classroom setting, will not only help intellectually stimulate their students, but they will also help enhance their interest, and engagement within the course, which can possibly lead to heightened cognitive and affective learning. Thus, instructors that are perceived to be funny within their respective course, are more likely to have students that are intellectually stimulated, interested, and engaged which enhances learning.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation existed between the selection of recreational nonfiction books from a school library media center by elementary school students in grades four through six and the measured interest, as generated by the Student Interest Inventory, of the students. Data for this study was collected during the period September, 1982 and April, 1983 at Sunnyside Elementary School, North Clackamas School District Number 12, Clackamas, Oregon. The raw data for the measured interest and recreational nonfiction books checked out were arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification tens. By using the Pearson product-moment correlation formula a significant coefficient was found and it was concluded that a correlation did exist between measured interest and nonfiction recreational books actually checked out of the library media center.

Thesis advisor: Michael Barnett / Scientific proficiency is important, not only for a solid, interdisciplinary educational foundation, but also for entry into and mobility within today's increasingly technological and globalized workplace, as well as for informed, democratic participation in society (National Academies Press, 2007b). Within the United States, low-income, ethnic minority students are disproportionately underperforming and underrepresented in science, as well as mathematics, engineering and other technology fields (Business-Higher Education Forum, 2011; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009). This is due, in part, to a lack of educational structures and strategies that can support low-income, ethnic minority students to become competent in science in equitable and empowering ways. In order to investigate such structures and strategies that may be beneficial for these students, a longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted. The 15 month study was an investigation of science identity negotiation informed by the theoretical perspectives of Brown's (2004) discursive science identities and Tan and Barton's (2008) identities-in-practice amongst ten high school students in an informal science program and employed an amalgam of research designs, including ethnography (Geertz, 1973), case study (Stake, 2000) and grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Findings indicated that the students made use of two strategies, discursive identity development and language use in science, in order to negotiate student science identities in satisfying ways within the limits of the TESJ practice. Additionally, 3 factors were identified as being supportive of successful student science identity negotiation in the informal practice, as well. These were (i) peer dynamics, (ii) significant social interactions, and (iii) student ownership in science. The students were also uncovered to be particularly open-minded to the field of STEM. Finally, with respect to STEM career development, specific behaviors were indicative of students' serious consideration of STEM careers and two major patterns in STEM career interests were uncovered. The findings are discussed in relation to existing research in science education, as are implications for future research and practice. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Denna uppsats ämnar undersöka hur elevers intresse för naturvetenskap i skolan förändras under skoltiden. Den utvalda litteraturen omfattar artiklar skrivna i ett flertal länder och beskriver enkäter, intervjuer, två litteraturstudier samt två studier vilka analyserar elevers egna frågor om naturvetenskap insända till ett teveprogram samt en tidning om naturvetenskap för barn och unga. Sammantaget visar studierna att elevers intresse för naturvetenskap minskar under skolåren. Dessutom är nedgången i intresse större för kemi och fysik än för biologi. Elevers attityd gentemot naturvetenskap håller sig visserligen positiv i flera studier även om den minskar. Det visar sig också att elevernas intresse förskjuts, från ett fokus på zoologi och spektakulära naturfenomen mot frågor som rör den egna hälsan, kost och människokroppen. Många elever upplever dessutom naturvetenskapsunderisningen som tråkig och betraktar innehållet som irrelevant. Dessa två åsikter verkar dock vara sammanlänkade och det verkar som om det inte är innehållet självt som är problemet utan hur det framställs i skolan. Författarna i de utvalda studierna betraktar i stort sina resultat som samstämmiga med resultatet av andra studier internationellt och även om deras slutsatser bör tas med en nypa salt i hänsyn till svenska elever så bör lärare i vilket fall inse vikten av vilka effekter traditionella undervisningsmetoder och bristen på engagerande innehåll skulle kunna ha på deras elevers framtida yrkes och ämnesval. / This student thesis aims to investigate how students’ interest for science changes during the school years. The selected literature is comprised of articles written in a range of countries describing surveys, interviews, two reviews, as well as two studies who analyse questions sent in by children to a science magazine for kids, and a children’s television programme about science respectively. The studies show that students’ interest in science decreases over time during the school years. The loss of interest though, is greater in chemistry and physics than it is in biology. Students’ attitudes to science manages in some cases to stay positive, even though it steadily declines. There is also an observed shift in interest from zoology and spectacular nature phenomena toward topics involving health, diet and the own body. Many students tend to find most of their science teaching boring, considering large parts of the curriculum seemingly irrelevant. These two are connected however, and it seems that it might not be the content itself that is problematic, but instead the way in which it is presented. The respective authors seem to consider their results consistent with those presented by similar studies internationally and while the results should be taken with a grain of salt in relation to Swedish pupils, teachers should nevertheless be aware of the effects that may be caused by repetitive teaching methods and uninspiring curricula. Especially on the students’ future career and study choices.

Students who find mathematics difficult and complicated can lose their confidence in their abilities after the first years of school to cope with mathematical tasks and gradually give up all efforts to learn mathematics. This systematic literature study aims to shed light on the teacher's role in developing students' interest in mathematics. The goal is to point out important aspects that can strengthen the teacher's teaching to arouse and create a positive interest in the students in their teaching. The result is research on different perceptions from different continents in the world about essential aspects that teachers can work from to promote students' interest in the mathematical subject. The most central aspect focuses on the importance of the teacher's knowledge of the students. Half of the articles that form the basis of this study also shed light on the importance of the current mathematics classroom. Finally, there are themes about communication and creating self-confidence through feedback. / Elever som upplever matematik svårt och komplicerat kan förlora sin tilltro till sina egna förmågor redan efter de första åren i skolan för att klara av matematiska uppgifter och ger efter hand upp alla ansträngningar att lära sig matematik. Syftet med denna systematiska litteraturstudie är att belysa lärarens roll i arbetet med att utveckla elevernas intresse för matematik. Målet är att peka på viktiga aspekter som kan stärka lärarens undervisning för att väcka och utveckla ett positivt intresse hos eleverna i sin undervisning. I resultatet framkommer det forskning om olika uppfattningar, från olika kontinenter i världen om viktiga aspekter som läraren kan arbeta utifrån för att främja elevernas intresse för det matematiska ämnet. Den mest centrala aspekten fokuserar på betydelsen av lärarens kännedom om eleverna. Hälften av artiklarna som utgör grunden för denna studie belyser även vikten av det aktuella matematikklassrummet. Avslutningsvis finns teman om kommunikation och skapa självförtroende genom feedback.

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