Situational Interest and Actualized Individual Interest: Two Problematic Constructs

Interest is currently thought to be an important construct that it can influence student motivation. It has widely been recognized that there are long-term and short-term forms of interest (often referred to as individual interest and situational interest, respectively), but it has not always been recognized that these may interact. For example, the term actualized individual interest can be used to refer to the arousal of interest that occurs when educational material aligns with one's preexisting individual interest. This form of interest is important because it results in high level and persistent engagement in learning, yet it is not a widely studied phenomenon. The purpose of the present commentary is to bring attention to this important construct, with the aim of promoting conversation among researchers.