Earlier boredom predicts positive changes in later interest from the second measurement point onward¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q3 · i0 negligible
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-22 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i0 Individuals with higher boredom relative to others on average increased in interest at later waves, an unexpected positive cross-lagged effect of negligible printed magnitude at T1→T2. → 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 · i0 · associational · r3

Latent cross-lagged models in mathematics and German. The T1→T2 boredom-to-interest path was negligible and not significant (β = 0.04, p = 0.407 in mathematics; German β = −0.03, p = 0.614); later paths were positive (German β = 0.17 and 0.33), with the German T2→T3 path not significant (p = 0.054).

"Interestingly, earlier boredom was associated with positive changes in later interest (β BO-M[T1] →INT-M[T2] = 0.04; βBO-M[T2] →INT-M[T3] = 0.17; βBO-M[T3] →INT-M[T4] = 0.17)"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Achievement Emotions — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Interest — outcome: instruction changes it
• Motivation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Latent boredom means increased and latent interest means declined from grade 5 to grade 8 in both domains — related
• Boredom and academic interest fit two separate correlated factors better than one common factor in mathematics and German at every wave — 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