Boredom and academic interest fit two separate correlated factors better than one common factor in mathematics and German at every wave¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Confirmatory factor analyses at all four waves showed superior fit for two-factor models of boredom and interest versus single-factor models in both domains. → Katharina Luisa Boehme 2025

Evidence¶

Katharina Luisa Boehme 2025¶

Katharina Luisa Boehme, Thomas Goetz, Markus Feuchter, Franzis Preckel. (2025). Is Boredom the Opposite of Interest? A Longitudinal Reciprocal Effect Study. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-09991-5

q3 · i? · associational · r3

CFA model comparisons across four waves in a sample of German secondary students (per-wave n around 1000) using CFI, BIC, and Satorra-Bentler scaled chi-square difference tests, all significant at p < 0.01. Two-factor models showed "superior to the respective single-factor models" fit; ΔBIC ranged from −51.970 to −207.758. No standardised effect size was printed for this model-comparison finding.

"At each wave of measurement, model fit for two-factor models with boredom and interest as separate but correlated factors was superior to the respective single-factor models for both mathematics and German"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Latent boredom means increased and latent interest means declined from grade 5 to grade 8 in both domains — related
• Negative boredom–interest factor correlations grew stronger over the four waves, indicating increasing divergence during secondary school — related
• Higher earlier interest is associated with later decreases in boredom across grades 5–8, at every wave in mathematics and all but the last in German — related
• Earlier boredom predicts positive changes in later interest from the second measurement point onward — related
• Mathematics enjoyment decreases and boredom increases from first to third grade, while mean enjoyment stays fairly high and boredom low — related