The literature defines curiosity and interest, but it is not clear how interest can be generated, where interest is positioned in the learning process, and what the impact of interest is on cognitive and emotional development. This paper reports on a three-year, iterative design-based research project involving three separate cohorts totalling 57…

In the classroom setting, social context and self-systems affect student engagement for school success. Students' perceived goal orientation of their teachers and grit influence their engagement in academic learning. However, adolescents' efforts for academic success related to teachers' goal orientation and grit remains under-researched in the…

Nonfiction has long been left out of the discourse on literacy and little is known about the affective experiences that children seek when they choose to engage with facts via reading and otherwise. We have conducted an interview study in which children of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in Czechia (N = 20, age 9-11) reflected on the world of…

This article presents findings from a qualitative study exploring parents' struggles over their children's education. Drawing on affective practice theory (Wetherell 2012) and feminist care ethics (Fisher and Tronto 1990), we offer insights into the affective practices of care driving parents' educational activism. We detail how parents' activism…

Autistic individuals often experience challenges in social communication and interaction, and there is growing evidence that specific interests can help them regulate these difficulties. However, it is unclear what specific properties of these interests make them suitable for this role. In this qualitative study, we conducted semi-structured…

Past research has shown that children are more likely to seek out and remember facts about kinds (e.g. "tarsiers hunt for birds") than individuals (e.g. "this tarsier likes to sing"), underscoring the importance of kind-based information in human cognition. However, children also often care about and learn facts about…

In recent years, numerous research studies have highlighted how teachers' perceptions of educational robotics (ER) and their sense of self-efficacy can influence the learning process. Although different instruments exist to investigate teachers' perspectives on ER, the Robotics Interest Questionnaire (RIQ) scale, developed within the Portuguese…

In this article, we analyse the processes that contribute to changes in career aspirations among German PhD graduates. Drawing on the concept of cooling out (Goffman 1952; Clark 1960) - which describes semi-intentional practices that can cause a gradual decline in educational or career aspirations -- the paper expands on this by distinguishing…

A major challenge for refugees and asylum seekers is social and professional integration. Using constructivist and capability approaches, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 young refugees and asylum seekers enrolled in an integration program in French-speaking Switzerland about their career choices. Following consensual qualitative…

Increasing interest among faculty, researchers, educators, and scholars in Open Educational Resources (OER) as significant tools for promoting openness, equity, and quality of education in both distance and face-to-face pedagogical settings has continually generated research attention on OER and Open Educational Practices. The motivational roles…

Obsessive-compulsive disorder commonly co-occurs with autism. Research characterising the interplay between restricted, repetitive behaviours, activities and interests related to autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms has used theory-driven, bottom-up methodology. This study aimed to interview autistic adults about the subjective…

This study utilized a qualitative case study design to explore participants' perspectives regarding the value of ECHO Education Nigeria (EEN) program. EEN is a social Learning Space created for educators in Nigeria in 2021. A survey on value creation was disseminated to all participants of EEN, and subsequent interviews were carried out with a…

This article interrogates the legitimacy and influence of interest groups in the elaboration of two school reforms of the last stage of compulsory schooling in two Swiss cantons: Geneva and Vaud. Based on the principle of participatory democracy, the Swiss political system raises questions about the specificities of interest groups' influence on…

Background: Circumscribed interests (CIs) are regarded as one of the common symptoms for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although some studies have found attentional bias toward CI-related stimuli for individuals with ASD, few studies have directly explored the reasons for these findings. Method: Children with ASD (n = 15) and…

Recent work suggests that the stereotype associating brilliance with men may underpin women's underrepresentation in prestigious careers, yet little is known about its development and consequences in non-Western contexts. The present research examined the onset of this stereotype and its relation to children's motivation in 5- to 7-year-old Korean…