The Science of Interest

Jack, Gordon

ET- Constructivism and Behaviorism

IL - Constructivism and Behaviorism

Paul, A.M. (2013, November). The science of interest. School Library Journal 59(11). 24-27. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/2013/11/librarians/the-science-of-interest-the-latest-cognitive-research-can-help-us-engage-students-and-foster-real-learning/

In this article, Paul synthesizes the studies of three researchers, Paul Silva, Judith Harackiewicz, and Suzanne Hidi, to discuss the significance of interest on student learning.  Focusing primarily on elementary, middle, and high school students, Paul emphasizes how student interest leads to better cognition of material.  Things that are interesting generally have three qualities.  They must be “novel, complex, and comprehensible” (p. 26).  Understandability is critically important, Paul emphasizes, and provides examples of how students interest in a challenging poem or painting was increased when given some clues to understanding its meaning.  Librarians are in an ideal position to be “interest evokers” for students, given their access and understanding of diverse material.  They can also promote interest by asking “curiosity questions” (p. 27), being friendly and approachable, and helping students see the relevance or value of the material on their own lives.

Evaluation

While this is a relatively short article, it contains interesting research on how critical interest is in the learning process.  Too often in the behaviorist teaching model, content is presented to students without trying to making it “novel, complex, and comprehensible”.  Teachers and teacher-librarians must consider both how to cultivate interest when designing their curriculum and instruction.  The article offers some strategies for how to do this, including a Big Think type activity that asks students to reflect upon the potential relevance of the content or skill in their own lives (which is different from asking students to describe the future utility of the content).  The article also discusses the value of social construction of knowledge and identifies the jigsaw procedure as one method to develop interest by making students experts in a particular component of the material.  This research reinforces the need for teacher-librarians to collaborate with teachers in order to tap into the wealth of materials for the into, through, or beyond portions of an instructional unit.