Recent research related to the concept of interest is reviewed. It is argued that current constructs of motivation fail to include crucial aspects of the meaning of interest emphasized by classical American and German educational theorists. In contrast with many contemporary concepts (e.g., intrinsic learning orientation), interest is defined as a content-specific motivational characteristic composed of intrinsic feeling-related and value-related valences. Results from a number of studies are presented that indicate the importance of interest for the depth of text comprehension, the use of learning strategies, and the quality of the emotional experience while learning. The implications of these results and possible directions for future research are discussed.

Interest, Learning, and Motivation

The Organization of Effective Secondary Schools

Research about the importance of interest in learning suggests that students who have access to materials of interest are more likely to read and thus to improve their reading achievement and attitudes. This study examined the reading preferences and access to reading materials of sixth-grade students from three middle schools in a large ethnically and economically diverse southwestern U.S. school district. Preference surveys and open-ended questions about favorite materials and authors showed that the most preferred materials among students were scary books and stories, comics and cartoons, magazines about popular culture, and books and magazines about sports. Other popular materials were drawing books, books and magazines about cars and trucks, series books, funny books, and books about animals. Comparisons by gender, income, reading attitude, and achievement found more similarities than differences. Students' school access to reading materials was examined through a student questionnaire and through interviews with their teacher and librarians. The majority of students obtained reading materials from purchased sources (stores or their homes) rather than schools and libraries. Classrooms ranked a distant last for book sources among even low-income students. Interviews with teachers and librarians along with classroom visits showed that the availability of the most popular materials was limited across schools and classrooms.

La investigacion acerca del interes durante el aprendizaje sugiere que los estudiantes que tienen acceso a materiales de interes leen mas y por lo tanto, mejoran su desempeno y actitudes hacia la lectura. Este estudio examino las preferencias y el acceso a materiales de lectura de estudiantes de 6° grado provenientes de 3 escuelas medias de un gran distrito del sudoeste de los Estados Unidos con poblacion etnica y economicamente diversa. Encuestas sobre preferencias y preguntas abiertas acerca de los materiales y autores favoritos mostraron que los materiales preferidos entre los estudiantes eran libros e historias de miedo, historietas, revistas acerca de la cultura popular y libros y revistas de deportes. Otros materiales preferidos eran los libros para dibujar, libros y revistas sobre autos y camiones, libros en serie, libros comicos y libros de animales. En las comparaciones por genero, ingresos, actitud hacia la lectura y desempeno se hallaron mas similitudes que diferencias. El acceso de los estudiantes a los materiales de lectura en la escuela se examino por medio de un cuestionario a los estudiantes y entrevistas con los docentes y bibliotecarios. La mayoria de los estudiantes obtenian los materiales de lectura en tiendas y en el hogar y no en escuelas y bibliotecas. El aula se ubico ultima en el rango de las fuentes para obtener libros, aun entre los estudiantes de bajos recursos. Las entrevistas con los docentes y bibliotecarios, conjuntamente con visitas a las aulas mostraron que los materiales preferidos eran poco accesibles en las escuelas.

Nachforschungen uber die Bedeutung des Lerninteresses empfehlen, das Studenten, die Zugang zu Materialien ihres Interesses haben, eher geneigt sind, zu lesen und folglich ihre Leistungen und innere Einstellung zum Lesen verbessern. Diese Studie untersuchte Lesevorzuge und den Zugang zu Lesematerial bei Schulern der sechsten Klasse aus drei Mittelschulen in einem grosen ethnisch und wirtschaftlich unterschiedlich strukturierten Schulbezirk im Sudwesten [der USA]. Prufungsberichte von Praferenzen und offenen Fragen uber bevorzugtes Material und Autoren zeigten, das das unter den Schulern am meisten bevorzugte Material in Buchern mit Schauergeschichten und Erzahlungen, Comics und Cartoons, Magazine uber Popkultur und Bucher und Zeitschriften uber Sport bestand. Ebenfalls populares Material waren Zeichenbucher, Bucher und Zeitschriften uber Autos und Trucks, Buch-Serien, humorvolle preferidos eran poco accesibles en las escuelas. Bucher und Bucher uber Tiere. Vergleiche-unterschieden nach Geschlecht, Einkommen, innerer Einstellung zum Lesen, und Leistung ergaben mehr Gemeinsamkeiten als Unterschiede. Der Zugang der Schuler zum Lesematerial in den Schulen wurde durch einen Schulerfragebogen und durch Interviews mit ihren Lehrern und Bibliothekaren untersucht. Die Mehrheit der Schuler erwarb die Lesematerialien durch Kaufe (direkt aus Laden oder von Zuhause), anstatt aus den Schulen und Buchereien. Mit weitem Abstand rangieren die Klassenraume ganz zuletzt als Bezugsquelle fur Bucher, selbst unter Schulern aus niedrigen Einkommensverhaltnissen. Befragungen von Lehrern und Bibliothekaren sowie Besuche in Klassenraumen zeigten auf, das die Verfugbarkeit des hauptsachlich popularen Materials durchweg in den Schulen und Klassenzimmern sehr begrenzt war.

Les recherches relatives a l'importance de l'interet dans l'apprentissage suggerent que les eleves ayant acces a des ecrits qui les interessent sont susceptibles de lire davantage et donc d'ameliorer leur savoir-lire et leurs attitudes envers la lecture. L'etude realisee a examine les preferences en lecture et l'acces aux materiaux ecrits d'eleves de 6° annee provenant de trois ecoles secondaires d'un district scolaire du sud ouest des Etats Unis tres diversifie sur les plans ethnique et economique. Les questionnaires de preferences et les questions ouvertes concernant les ecrits et les auteurs preferes ont montre que les ecrits que preferent les eleves sont les livres et les histoires d'horreur, les illustres et les bandes dessinees, les magazines de culture populaire, et les livres et magazines de sport. Les autres ecrits qu'ils apprecient sont les livres de decoration, les livres et les magazines concernant autos et camions, les livres de series, les livres comiques, et les livres sur les animaux. Les comparaisons selon le sexe, le revenu, l'attitude de lecture, et les resultats scolaires font apparaitre plus de points communs que de differences. On a examine l'acces qu'ont les eleves aux ecrits au moyen d'un questionnaire aux eleves et d'entretiens avec leurs professeurs et bibliothecaires. La majorite des eleves se procurent leurs lectures par acquisition (faites en magasin ou a la maison) plutot qu'a l'ecole ou a la bibliotheque. Les salles de classe se trouvent a distance des ressources de livres pour les eleves aux faibles revenus. Les entretiens avec les professeurs et les bibliothecaires ainsi que les visites de classes montrent que les ecrits les plus populaires sont peu disponibles dans les ecoles et les salles de classe.

What Johnny Likes to Read Is Hard to Find in School

Efforts to improve computer science education are underway, and teachers of computer science are challenged in introductory programming courses to help learners develop their understanding of programming and computer science. Identifying and addressing students’ misconceptions is a key part of a computer science teacher's competence. However, relevant research on this topic is not as fully developed in the computer science education field as it is in mathematics and science education. In this article, we first review relevant literature on general definitions of misconceptions and studies about students’ misconceptions and other difficulties in introductory programming. Next, we investigate the factors that contribute to the difficulties. Finally, strategies and tools to address difficulties including misconceptions are discussed.Based on the review of literature, we found that students exhibit various misconceptions and other difficulties in syntactic knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and strategic knowledge. These difficulties experienced by students are related to many factors including unfamiliarity of syntax, natural language, math knowledge, inaccurate mental models, lack of strategies, programming environments, and teachers’ knowledge and instruction. However, many sources of students’ difficulties have connections with students’ prior knowledge. To better understand and address students’ misconceptions and other difficulties, various instructional approaches and tools have been developed. Nevertheless, the dissemination of these approaches and tools has been limited. Thus, first, we suggest enhancing the dissemination of existing tools and approaches and investigating their long-term effects. Second, we recommend that computing education research move beyond documenting misconceptions to address the development of students’ (mis)conceptions by integrating conceptual change theories. Third, we believe that developing and enhancing instructors’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), including their knowledge of students’ misconceptions and ability to apply effective instructional approaches and tools to address students’ difficulties, is vital to the success of teaching introductory programming.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3077618

Students’ Misconceptions and Other Difficulties in Introductory Programming: A Literature Review

The present study explores teacher emotions, in particular how they are predicted by students’ behaviour and the interpersonal aspect of the teacher-student relationship (TSR). One hundred thirty-two secondary teachers participated in a quantitative study relying on self-report questionnaire data. Based on the model of teacher emotions by Frenzel (2014), teachers rated their experienced joy, anger and anxiety during classroom instruction (dependent variable). Students’ motivational behaviour (= engagement), socio-emotional behaviour (= discipline in class) and relational behaviour (= closeness; interpersonal TSR) were assessed as the independent variables. Teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs served as a control variable. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the interpersonal relationship formed between teachers and students was the strongest predictor for teachers’ joy (positive relation) and anxiety (negative relation), whereas lack of discipline in class best predicted teachers’ anger experiences. Students’ engagement also proved a significant predictor of teacher emotions. The results suggest that interpersonal TSR plays a particularly important role in teachers’ emotional experiences in class.

/pdf/teacher-emotions-in-the-classroom-associations-with-students-27ziq4c6kt.pdf

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Papers

The Influence of Teachers.