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Boredom in Learning

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Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning

Synonyms

Apathy; Disinterest; Disengagement; Dissatisfaction; Ennui; Meaninglessness; Monotony; Purposelessness; Relentlessness; Under arousal; Weariness

Definition

The construct of boredom can be divided into two main subsets, trait boredom and state boredom. Trait boredom, also known as boredom proneness, refers to an individual’s inclination to experience feelings of boredom regardless of setting or condition. Individuals who are more boredom prone seem to have lower thresholds for situations that may induce boredom. Substantial research has been conducted in this area, finding extroversion and sensation seeking correlate with this personality trait. Trait boredom is a significant concern because it can negatively affect individuals in a number of ways including increased work absenteeism and decreased attention and motivation to learn.

The definition of state boredom, on the other hand, has been highly debated with no clear agreement in the literature to date. Across empirical...

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References

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Correspondence to Jennifer J. Vogel-Walcutt Ph.D. .

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Vogel-Walcutt, J.J., Abich, J., Schatz, S. (2012). Boredom in Learning. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_730

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_730

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1427-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1428-6

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