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What triggers students’ interest during higher education lectures? Personal and situational variables associated with situational interest

Quinlan, Kathleen M. (2019) What triggers students’ interest during higher education lectures? Personal and situational variables associated with situational interest. Studies in Higher Education, 44 (10). pp. 1781-1792. ISSN 0307-5079. E-ISSN 1470-174X. (doi:10.1080/03075079.2019.1665325) (KAR id:77207)

Abstract

Lecturing is often touted as a means to inspire students’ interest, despite evidence that most lectures fail to do so. This study examines triggers of students’ situational interest during lectures. Students (N=706) in 12 different individual one hour first year lectures in a UK university were surveyed at the end of the lecture. They described the moment they were most interested; rated a series of 5 point Likert scale items on their situational and individual interest, and features of the content, presentation and teacher’s behaviour during that moment; and provided demographic characteristics. Simultaneous regression analyses showed that novelty, cognitive activation, cognitive incongruity, and utility value all positively predicted situational interest. Students’ level of individual interest and perceptions of their teacher’s enthusiasm, approachability and knowledge were the strongest predictor of situational interest. Overchallenge was negatively associated with situational interest.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1080/03075079.2019.1665325
Uncontrolled keywords: situational interest, emotion, learning, motivation, utility value
Subjects: L Education > L Education (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Directorate of Education > Centre for the Study of Higher Education
Depositing User: Kathleen Quinlan
Date Deposited: 08 Oct 2019 18:36 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2022 03:19 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/77207 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Quinlan, Kathleen M..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-4148
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
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