Activity matters: Understanding student interest in school science

Journal of Research in Science Teaching

Volumn 49, Issue 4, 2012, Pages 515-537

  Swarat, Su ^a   Ortony, Andrew ^a   Revelle, William ^a  

^a NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

activity; interest; learning environment elements; science education

Indexed keywords

CRITICAL GOAL; INTEREST; INTERESTINGNESS; LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS; LEARNING GOALS; SCIENCE EDUCATION; SCIENTIFIC LITERACY; UNIT OF ANALYSIS;

EDUCATION; RESEARCH; THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES;

STUDENTS;

EID: 84858154400     PISSN: 00224308     EISSN: 10982736     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/tea.21010     Document Type: Article

References (75)

1. Ainley, M., (2004). Some perspectives on interest in learning and classroom interaction (a part of the Classroom Learning Project). Retrieved October 16, 2004 from
2. Ainley, M., Hidi, S., &, Berndorff, D., (2002). Interest, learning, and the psychological processes that mediate their relationship. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94 (3), 545-561.
3. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (1993). Benchmarks for scientific literacy. New York: Oxford University Press.
4. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (2001). Atlas of scientific literacy. Washington, DC: AAAS Press.
5. Anderman, E. M., &, Maehr, M. L., (1994). Motivation and schooling in the middle grades. Review of Educational Research, 64 (2), 287-309.
6. Azevedo, F. S., (2004). What does it mean to be interested in a practice ? Paper presented as part of the symposium "Design theories of interest, motivation, and engagement for the learning sciences," the International Conference of the Learning Sciences, Los Angeles, CA.
7. Azevedo, F. S., (2006). Personal excursions: Investigating the dynamics of student engagement. International Journal of Computers for Mathematical Learning, 11, 57-98.
8. Baram-Tsabari, A., &, Yarden, A., (2005). Characterizing children's spontaneous interests in science and technology. International Journal of Science Education, 27 (7), 803-826. (Pubitemid 40975144)
9. Baram-Tsabari, A., &, Yarden, A., (2009). Identifying meta-clusters of students' interest in science and their change with age. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46 (9), 999-1022.
10. Bergin, D. A., (1999). Influences on classroom interest. Educational Psychologist, 34 (2), 87-98.
11. Blumenfeld, P. C., Kempler, T. M., &, Krajcik, J. S., (2006). Motivation and cognitive engagement in learning environments. In, R. K. Sawyer, (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 475-488). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
12. Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E., Marx, R., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., &, Palincsar, A., (1991). Motivating project-based learning: Sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26 (3 and 4), 369-398.
13. Dawson, C., (2000). Upper primary boys' and girls' interests in science: Have they changed since 1980 ? International Journal of Science Education, 22 (6), 557-570.
14. DeBoer, G. E., (1991). A history of ideas in science education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
15. Deci, E. L., (1992). The relation of interest to the motivation of behavior: A self-determination theory perspective. In, K. A. Renninger, S. Hidi, &, A. Krapp, (Eds.), The role of interest in learning and development (pp. 43-70). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
16. Dewey, J., (1906). The child and the curriculum. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
17. Dewey, J., (1913). Interest and effort in education. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.
18. Eccles, J. S., &, Wigfield, A., (1992). The development of achievement-task values: A theoretical analysis. Developmental Review, 12, 265-310.
19. Edelson, D. C., Gordin, D. N., &, Pea, R. D., (1999). Addressing the challenges in inquiry-based learning through technology and curriculum design. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8 (3/4), 391-450.
20. Edelson, D. C., &, Joseph, D., (2003). Interest-driven learning: A design framework for motivating active learning. Unpublished manuscript.
21. Fredricks, J., Blumenfeld, P. C., &, Paris, A. H., (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, states of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74 (1), 59-109. (Pubitemid 38651980)
22. Frenzel, A. C., Dicke, A. L., Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., (2009, August). Development of mathematics interest in adolescence: Quantitative and qualitative insights. Paper presented at the meeting of the European Association on Learning and Instruction, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
23. Haussler, P., (1987). Measuring students' interest in physics-design and results of a cross-sectional study in the Federal Republic of Germany. International Journal of Science Education, 9 (1), 79-92.
24. Haussler, P., Hoffman, L., Langeheine, R., Rost, F., &, Sievers, K., (1998). A typology of students' interest in physics and the distribution of gender and age within each type. International Journal of Science Education, 20 (2), 223-238. (Pubitemid 128692313)
25. Hidi, S., (1990). Interest and its contribution as a mental resource for learning. Review of Educational Research, 60 (4), 549-571.
26. Hidi, S., (2001). Interest, reading, and learning: Theoretical and practical considerations. Educational Psychology Review, 13 (3), 191-209. (Pubitemid 33634680)
27. Hidi, S., &, Anderson, V., (1992). Situational interest and its impact on reading and expository writing. In, K. A. Renninger, S. Hidi, &, A. Krapp, (Eds.), The role of interest in learning and development (pp. 215-238). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
28. Hidi, S., &, Baird, W., (1986). Interestingness-A neglected variable in discourse processing. Cognitive Science, 10, 179-194.
29. Hidi, S., &, Harackiewicz, J. M., (2000). Motivating the academically unmotivated: A critical issue for the 21st century. Review of Educational Research, 70 (2), 151-179.
30. Hidi, S., &, Renninger, K. A., (2006). The four-phase model of interest development. Educational Psychologist, 41 (2), 111-127. (Pubitemid 43841450)
31. Hoffman, L., (2002). Promoting girls' interest and achievement in physics classes for beginners. Learning and Instruction, 12, 447-465.
32. Illinois State Board of Education. (2005). Illinois Learning Standards. Retrieved November 18, 2005 from
33. Iran-Nejad, A., (1987). Cognitive and affective causes of interest and liking. Journal of Educational Psychology, 79 (2), 120-130.
34. Jenkins, E. W., &, Nelson, N. W., (2005). Important but not for me: Students' attitudes towards secondary school science in England. Research in Science and Technological Education, 23 (1), 41-57.
35. Krajcik, J. S., &, Blumenfeld, P. C., (2006). Project-based learning. In, R. K. Sawyer, (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 317-333). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
36. Krajcik, J. S., Blumenfeld, P. C., Marx, R. W., Bass, K. M., Fredricks, J., &, Soloway, E., (1998). Inquiry in project-based science classrooms: Initial attempts by middle school students. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 7 (3/4), 313-350. (Pubitemid 128497025)
37. Krajcik, J. S., Czerniak, C. M., &, Berger, C. F., (2003). Teaching science in elementary and middle school classrooms: A project-based approach (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
38. Krapp, A., Hidi, S., &, Renninger, K. A., (1992). Interest, learning and development. In, K. A. Renninger, S. Hidi, &, A. Krapp, (Eds.), The role of interest in learning and development (pp. 3-26). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
39. Lee, H. S., Linn, M. C., Varma, K., &, Liu, L., (2009). How do technology- enhanced inquiry science units impact classroom learning ? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47 (1), 71-90.
40. Lepper, M. R., &, Malone, T. W., (1987). Intrinsic motivation and instructional effectiveness in computer-based education. In, R. E. Snow, &, M. J. Farr, (Eds.), Aptitude, learning, and instruction: Vol. 3. Conative and affective process analyses (pp. 255-286). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
41. McDonald, R. P., (1999). Test theory: A unified treatment. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
42. Minner, D., Levy, A., &, Century, J., (2010). Inquiry-based science instruction-What is it and does it matter? Results from a research synthesis years 1984-2002. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47 (20), 474-496.
43. Mitchell, M., (1993). Situational interest: Its multifaceted structure in the secondary school mathematics classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85 (3), 424-436.
44. Montanelli, R. G., &, Humphreys, L. G., (1976). Latent roots of random data correlation matrices with squared multiple correlations on the diagonal: A Monte Carlo study. Psychometrika, 41, 341-348.
45. Palmer, D. H., (2009). Student interest generated during an inquiry skills lesson. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46 (2), 147-165.
46. Papert, S., (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. New York: Basic Books.
47. Papert, S., (1991). Situating constructionism. In, S. Papert, &, I. Harel, (Eds.), Constructionism. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
48. Peterson, P. L., Swing, S. R., Stark, K. D., &, Waas, G. A., (1984). Students' cognitions and time on task during mathematics instruction. American Educational Research Journal, 21 (3), 487-515.
49. Piaget, J., (1970). Science of education and the psychology of the child (D. Coleman, Trans.). New York: Orion Press.
50. Pitts, V. M., (2006). Do students by in? A study of goal and role adoption by students in project-based curricula. Unpublished dissertation. Northwestern University.
51. R Development Core Team. (2007). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. ISBN 3-900051-07-0, URL
52. Raudenbush, S. W., Bryk, A. S., Cheong, Y. F., &, Congdon, R. T., (2004). HLM6: Hierarchical linear and nonlinear modeling. Lincolnwood, IL: Scientific Software International.
53. Renninger, K. A., &, Hidi, S., (2011). Revisiting the conceptualization, measurement, and generation of interest. Educational Psychologist, 46 (3), 168-184.
54. Revelle, W., (2011). Psych: Procedures for personality and psychological research. Evanston: Northwestern University, January 1, 2009.
55. Rutherford, F. J., &, Ahlgren, A., (1991). Science for all Americans. New York: Oxford University Press.
56. Schiefele, U., (1992). Topic interest and levels of text comprehension. In, K. A. Renninger, S. Hidi, &, A. Krapp, (Eds.), The role of interest in learning and development (pp. 151-182). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
57. Schiefele, U., (1999). Interest and learning from text. Scientific Studies of Reading, 3 (3), 257-279.
58. Schiefele, U., Krapp, A., &, Winteler, A., (1992). Interest as a predictor of academic achievement: A meta-analysis of research. In, K. A. Renninger, S. Hidi, &, A. Krapp, (Eds.), The role of interest in learning and development (pp. 183-212). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
59. Schmidt, W. H., McKnight, C. C., Houang, R. T., Wang, H. C., Wiley, D. E., Cogan, L. S., &, Wolfe, R. G., (2001). Why school matter: A cross national comparison of curriculum and learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
60. Schraw, G., Bruning, R., &, Svoboda, C., (1995). Sources of situational interest. Journal of Reading Behavior, 27 (1), 1-17.
61. Schraw, G., Flowerday, T., &, Lehman, S., (2001). Increasing situational interest in the classroom. Educational Psychological Review, 13 (3), 211-224.
62. Schraw, G., &, Lehman, S., (2001). Situational interest: A review of the literature and directions for future research. Educational Psychological Review, 13 (3), 23-52.
63. Schreiner, C., &, SjÃberg, S., (2004). Sowing the seeds of ROSE. Background, rationale, questionnaire development and data collection for ROSE (Relevance of Science Education)-A comparative study of students' views of science and science education. Acta Didactica 4. Oslo, Norway: University of Oslo Department of Teacher Education and School Development.
64. Schroeder, C. M., Scott, T. P., Tolson, H., Huang, T., &, Lee, Y., (2007). A meta-analysis of national research: Effects of teaching strategies on student achievement in science in the United States. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44 (10), 1436-1460.
65. Silvia, P. J., (2006). Exploring the psychology of interest. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
66. SjÃberg, S., &, Schreiner, C., (2006). How do students perceive science and technology. Science in School, 1, 66-69.
67. Swarat, S., (2005). Social support: The mediating factor between interest and behavioral engagement. Unpublished manuscript.
68. Swarat, S., (2008). What makes a topic interesting? A conceptual and methodological exploration of the underlying dimensions of topic interest. Electronic Journal of Science Education, 12 (2).
69. Swarat, S., Ortony, A., &, Daniels, B., (2006). What makes a topic interesting? An exploration of the underlying dimensions of topic interest. Paper presented the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
70. Valsiner, J., (1992). Interest: A metatheoretical perspective. In, K. A. Renninger, S. Hidi, &, A. Krapp, (Eds.), The role of interest in learning and development (pp. 27-42.). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
71. Vogel, J. J., Vogel, D. S., Cannon-Bowers, J., Bowers, C. A., Muse, K., &, Wright, M., (2006). Computer gaming and interactive simulations for learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 34 (3), 229-243.
72. Wade, S. E., (1992). Is interest educationally interesting? An interest-related model of learning. In, K. A. Renninger, S. Hidi, &, A. Krapp, (Eds.), The role of interest in learning and development (pp. 101-120). Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
73. Wade, S. E., (2001). Research on importance and interest: Implications for curriculum development and future research. Educational Psychology Review, 13, 243-261. (Pubitemid 33634683)
74. Wigfield, A., &, Eccles, J. S., (2000). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 68-81.
75. Yager, R. E., &, Yager, S. O., (1985). Changes in perceptions of science in third, seventh, and eleventh grade students. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 22 (4), 347-358.