An interest researcher's perspective

Abstract

Publisher Summary Although intrinsic motivation researchers investigated the relation between rewards and interest, rewards have not been central to interest research or to interest theory. This chapter discusses interest researchers' conceptualization of interest and describes how interest relates to intrinsic motivation. Following this, it reviews changes in motivational aspects of school activities and suggests that extrinsic factors play an inevitable and increasingly more important role in motivating students as they progress through their education. The chapter considers research examining how rewards affect individuals' behavior and motivation, and explores the relation of the literature to research on interest. Specifically, it argues that the questions raised, the research conducted, and the conclusions reached in the intrinsic-motivation literature have not taken into account critical issues, some of which are implicit in interest research, and therefore the studies may not sufficiently inform about how rewards affect individuals' interests and real-life academic performance.