Azilawati Jamaludin

Motivation is an interdisciplinary concept which encompasses various theories, concepts and frameworks. This paper aims to bring various motivational theories together, with interest development at its core, to develop a more streamlined framework of interest development. Interest is believed to play a vital role in student learning, and this “Growth cycle of interest” framework aims to provide a deeper understanding of interest development in the context of education. This paper begins with a brief overview of major motivational theories, synthesising them into the Growth Cycle of Interest framework, which is then exemplified through case studies.

Interest is an essential motivational component that plays a significant role in learning. It is therefore important to have a better understanding of how interest is triggered for it to develop into a more developed and productive form of interest. Most studies of interest have historically relied on self-report measures, with participants being unable to provide a full and accurate reporting on the triggering process of interest. This is because triggers of interest are characteristically unexpected and fleeting. It has therefore been suggested to use observational studies to collect richer and more detailed data on the triggering process of interest. This paper investigates how interest is triggered using observational methods from a case study analysis of data collected from a 10-week coding programme coupled with the use of psychophysiological measures as a novel measure of triggered interest. Findings together with implications and future research are discussed.