Cognitive psychology

Communication

Neuroscience

Social psychology

Boredom

Cognition

Cognitive strategy

Developmental psychology

Psychology

Affect (linguistics)

Learning and Instruction

To better understand the relationship between enjoyment and boredom and students' use of cognitive learning strategies, we analyzed both directions of effects between these constructs as described in the control-value theory of achievement emotions (Pekrun, 2006; 2018). Our study used a sequential design in which students' (N = 338 4th grade students) effective use of cognitive learning strategies was measured in real learning situations, allowing insights into the temporal order of effects and discrimination between intra- and interindividual effects (N = 8020 assessments within students). An increased intraindividual level of enjoyment positively predicted subsequent effective use of learning strategies, whereas effective use of learning strategies did not predict students’ subsequent enjoyment on the intraindividual level. Interindividual differences in enjoyment and effective use of cognitive learning strategies were unrelated, whereas negative relations were found for boredom and effective strategy use. On the intraindividual level, boredom and effective strategy use were unrelated.

Students’ emotions of enjoyment and boredom and their use of cognitive learning strategies – How do they affect one another?