Holstermann, N.

Ainley, M.

Grube, D.

Roick, T.

Bögeholz, Susanne

The specific relationship between disgust and interest:

Relevance during biology class dissections and gender differences. Learning and Instruction.

Göttingen

2011

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Abstract

This investigation examined trajectories of interest and disgust related to a biology dissection class. Three hundred and two secondary students completed ratings of disgust sensitivity and individual interest in the topic of the heart approximately one week before a dissection class. States of disgust and interest were recorded before, during, and after the dissection, and again four weeks later. Overall, girls expressed higher disgust sensitivity than boys, but showed similar levels of individual interest in the heart topic. Individual interest was negatively related to feelings of disgust prior to and during the dissection while feelings of disgust at the beginning of the class negatively predicted students′ interest during the dissection. These findings extend knowledge of the interactive influences of students′ affective experiences during a specific curriculum task and provide a complementary perspective to research findings on emotions relating to achievement outcomes.