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Background: A controversy over the distinction between curiosity and situational interest has recently resurfaced. Nonetheless, empirical research comparing the two is noticeably lacking. Aims: We attempted to fill this gap and provide much-needed evidence of the distinction between curiosity and situational interest by examining the antecedents and consequences of the two constructs. Methods: We assessed enjoyment, novelty, uncertainty and surprise as potential antecedents and information seeking, individual interest, career intention and achievement as potential outcomes of curiosity and situational interest among 219 Korean sixth graders in the domain of science. Results: Of the hypothesized antecedents, enjoyment during science class related most strongly to students' situational interest in science, whereas novelty in science class related most strongly to students' science curiosity. Uncertainty and surprise in science class related to only science curiosity and not situational interest in science. Among the outcomes considered, situational interest in science related to only students' individual interest in science. In comparison, science curiosity related significantly to all science outcomes measured in this study. Science curiosity also significantly mediated the relationships between the antecedents and outcomes in science. Conclusions: Together, these results support the distinction between curiosity and situational interest and suggest different ways to promote each motivation construct depending on desired outcomes in the science classroom.

We investigated the transmission of utility value from teachers to students by testing a model based on modern expectancy-value theory and empirical evidence for value transmission. A sample of 219 Korean 8th graders responded to surveys regarding the subject of history and their history teacher. Structural equation modelling showed that students' perceptions of their teachers' emotional support related positively to their perceptions of their teachers' utility value and their own utility value for history. Student perceptions of their teachers' utility value also related positively to the students' utility value. Both the teachers' and students' utility value for history positively predicted students' achievement in history. These findings suggest that students who believe that they receive stronger emotional support from their teachers tend to believe that their teachers value the subject more, and they in turn benefit from these beliefs in the form of increased utility value and achievement in the subject.

The effects of ability performance goals, normative performance goals, and mastery goals on anxiety, interest, and performance were examined in a series of experiments. Challenging problem-solving tasks that would demonstrate the effects of each performance goal more clearly were designed. Groups of early adolescents (Study 1) and college students in Korea (Studies 2 and 3) participated in similar experiments to strengthen the generalizability of the findings. Across the 3 studies, students assigned to the ability-goal condition exhibited significantly higher anxiety and lower interest compared with those in the normative- and mastery-goal conditions, except that the anxiety between the 2 performance-goal conditions did not differ after experiencing failure in Study 3. The ability-goal students persisted for significantly less time than did those in the other 2 conditions (Study 1) and demonstrated significantly lower challenge appraisal and weaker reengagement intention compared with those in the normative-goal condition (Study 2). The effects of achievement goals on problem-solving performance varied across the studies.

This review aims to clarify four perennial issues surrounding the concept of curiosity: its nature, conceptual distinction from situational interest, types, and educational implications. First, we argue that humans have evolved to be deeply curious to adapt to a world of uncertainty. Curiosity can be likened to an appetite for knowledge which can be satiated by specific information that fills a knowledge gap. Information-seeking behavior is determined by the expected availability of information using a cost-benefit analysis. Second, although curiosity and situational interest are often considered synonyms, we show that the two constructs differ in terms of their theoretical account, biological underpinnings, triggering factors, emotional valence, specificity of information searches, and relationship with individual interest. Unlike situational interest, which is the positive affect triggered by a wide variety of sources (e.g., autonomy, relatedness, competence), curiosity is an aversive cognitive state caused by an information gap. Situational interest follows the hedonic principle and is associated with opioid liking system in the brain. Curiosity, by contrast, is understood through drive theory and involves dopaminergic wanting system. Situational interest drives individuals to approach the stimulus while curiosity promotes the active seeking of missing information. Iterative cycles of curiosity resolution can lead to the development of individual interest. Third, we introduce two types of curiosity: curiosity for "what" (forward curiosity) is provoked by unpredictability, whereas curiosity for "why" (backward curiosity) arises from incongruity. Finally, driven by the unique characteristics of curiosity, we suggest ways to design learning environment that can nurture students' curiosity.

Hydrogen (H2) gas, with its high calorimetric combustion energy and cleanness, is a green source of energy and an alternative to fossil fuels. However, it has a small kinetic diameter, with high diffusivity and a highly explosive nature. Hence, the reliable detection of H2 gas is essential in various fields such as fuel cells. Herein, we decorated ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) with Pd noble metal NPs, using UV irradiation to enhance their H2 gas-sensing performance. The synthesized materials were fully characterized in terms of their phases, morphologies, and chemical composition. Then, the sensing layer was deposited on the electrode-patterned glass substrate to make a transparent sensor. The fabricated transparent gas sensor was able to detect H2 gas at various temperatures and humidity levels. At 250 °C, the sensor exhibited the highest response to H2 gas. As a novelty of the present study, we successfully detected H2 gas in mixtures of H2/benzene and H2/toluene gases. The enhanced H2 gas response was related to the catalytic effect of Pd, the formation of heterojunctions between Pd and ZnO, the partial reduction of ZnO to Zn in the presence of H2 gas, and the formation of PdHx. With a high performance in a high response, good selectivity, and repeatability, we believe that the sensor developed in this study can be a good candidate for practical applications where the detection of H2 is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]