1st Edition

The Role of interest in Learning and Development

Edited By K. Ann Renninger, Suzanne Hidi, Andreas Krapp Copyright 1992
    476 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    476 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    Interest is just emerging as a critical bridge between cognitive and affective issues in both learning and development. This developing "interest" in interest appears to be linked to an increasing concern for studying the individual in context, examining affective variables as opposed to purely structural features of text, analyzing the interrelationship of cognitive and social development, understanding practical applications of theories of motivation, and recognizing the importance of developmental psychology for the study of learning. This book addresses both how individual interest and interest inherent in stimuli (books, text, toys, etc.) across subjects affect cognitive performance.

    While the book's particular emphasis is on theory-driven research, each of the contributing authors offers a unique perspective on understanding interest and its effects on learning and development. As such, each has contributed a chapter in which particular questions in interest research are described and linked to a clearly stated theoretical perspective and recent findings. Relevant material from the broader literatures of psychology and education are analyzed in the context of these discussions. In addition, the introductory and concluding chapters build on the contributions to the volume by providing the basis of a coherent view of interest across genres such as stories and expository text, and domains as varied as play, reading, and mathematics.

    Contents: Part I:General Questions in the Study of Interest. A. Krapp, S. Hidi, K.A. Renninger, Interest, Learning, and Development. J. Valsiner, Interest: A Metatheoretical Perspective. E.L. Deci, The Relation of Interest to the Motivation of Behavior: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective. M. Prenzel, The Selective Persistence of Interest. Part II:Individual Interest and Learning in School. J.F. Voss, L. Schauble, Is Interest Educationally Interesting? An Interest-Related Model of Learning. P. Nenniger, Task Motivation: An Interaction Between the Cognitive and Content-Oriented Dimensions in Learning. U. Schiefele, Topic Interest and Levels of Text Comprehension. U. Schiefele, A. Krapp, A. Winteler, Interest as a Predictor of Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of Research. Part III:Situational Interest (Interestingness). S. Hidi, V. Anderson, Situational Interest and Its Impact on Reading and Expository Writing. R. Garner, R. Brown, S. Sanders, D.J. Menke, "Seductive Details" and Learning from Text. S.E. Wade, How Interest Affects Learning from Text. Part IV:Special Approaches to Explain Interest Effects. L.L. Shirey, Importance, Interest, and Selective Attention. A. Iran-Nejad, C. Cecil, Interest and Learning: A Biofunctional Perspective. M. Pressley, P.B. El-Dinary, M.B. Marks, R. Brown, S. Stein, Good Strategy Instruction Is Motivating and Interesting. Part V:Developmental Aspects of Individual Interest. K.A. Renninger, Individual Interest and Development: Implications for Theory and Practice. A. Krapp, B. Fink, The Development and Function of Interests During the Critical Transition from Home to Preschool. Part VI:Conclusions. S. Hidi, K.A. Renninger, A. Krapp, The Present State of Interest Research.

    Biography

    K. Ann Renninger, Suzanne Hidi, Andreas Krapp, Ann Renninger

    "...an exciting and thought-provoking book that acquaints the reader with interest research."
    American Journal of Psychology

    "...it is clear that these researchers from the United States, Germany, and Canada are going to be heard from again in the future and that, after a long hiatus, interest is back in psychology."
    Contemporary Psychology

    "We all have excellent intuitions about what is interesting and why, but the task of providing an explicit scientific account for these intuitions and for the role of interest in learning is a difficult one, and one that has not received as much attention as it deserves. The present book represents a major step in the scientific study of interest and interestingness."
    Walter Kintsch
    from the Foreword