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¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-22 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i1 In latent cross-lagged models, higher interest at earlier waves was related to decreases in boredom at later waves in both domains, supporting H1, except for German between T3 and T4, where the path was not significant (p = 0.101); the design is correlational and cannot show that interest causes the change. → 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 · i1 · associational · r2

Latent cross-lagged SEM (n mathematics = 1420, n German = 1418) over four waves. Standardized cross-lagged paths for mathematics were β = −0.14, −0.22, −0.24 and for German β = −0.18, −0.28, −0.19; the German T3→T4 path was not significant (p = 0.101). These are predictive associations from observational longitudinal data, not evidence that interest causes boredom to fall.

"For mathematics, earlier interest consistently predicted changes in later boredom. That is, higher levels of interest at an earlier stage were related to decreases in the levels of boredom at later times"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Achievement Emotions — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Interest — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• 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
• Earlier boredom predicts positive changes in later interest from the second measurement point onward — related
• Interest is substantially more stable over time than boredom, whose autoregressive paths are low and decline — related
• Negative boredom–interest factor correlations grew stronger over the four waves, indicating increasing divergence during secondary school — related
• Mathematics enjoyment decreases and boredom increases from first to third grade, while mean enjoyment stays fairly high and boredom low — related