The Adaptive Dimension - The Learner

Interests of the students can provide a basis for curriculum development, extension exercises and independent studies.

Developing a student profile helps to provide a deeper understanding of an individual's unique interests, styles and abilities. By gathering information from a variety of sources, teachers and school-based teams are in a better position to make educational decisions that will enhance the student's development. .

Principles of Creating Student Interest

Thinking is interesting.

Interest is contagious.

Interest is strengthened by a sense of progress.

Interest is sustained by a state of suspense.

Goals become interest centers.

The novel and unexpected are interesting.

Humor creates interest.

Techniques for Creating and Maintaining Interest

Arouse a feeling of need.
Use illustrations and personal experiences.
Use multiple sensory teaching and learning aids.
Use a variety of teaching techniques.
Base teaching on thinking.
Create doubt and suspense.
Build genuine interests in your students.
Create a "felt need" for learning.
Be enthusiastic.
Use "real world" examples and situations.
Expect quality from your students.
Be professional.

Student Interest Inventories

K-6 Sample Interest Inventory | 7-12 Sample Interest Inventory

Having students complete interest inventories gives teachers a greater understanding of student's interests and is a great motivator in the classroom to build on student's interests.

Teachers have many ways to find out about student interests.

There are some published inventories that can be helpful. One is My Book of Things and Stuff (McGreevy, 1982) written for primary and intermediate students. Another is The Interest-A-lyzer (Renzulli, 1977) appropriate for middle and secondary school students.

There are commercially produced interest inventories that can be purchased. For example: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) -- This inventory is based on Carl Jung's theory of psychological type. It measures your individual preferences in how you relate to others and the world around you, how you gather information and make decisions, the types of situations in which you feel most comfortable, and the lifestyle you adopt. It has direct applications to your preferred style and interests as a career professional.

Campell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS) -- This inventory is a survey of self- reported interests and skills. It is designed to help you understand how your interests and skills relate to basic job interest orientations and specific occupations. You will receive a detailed profile based on a computer analysis of the completed inventory.
Many curriculum guides contain informal interest inventories or teachers can develop their own. Following are two samples of informal interest inventories,one for Grades 1-6, and one for Grades 7-12. These require less standardized responses and can collect more anecdotal information. As a result, these take more time and are best done in an interview (one-on-one interaction) rather than as a handout. You can glean questions from this, however, to add to a more standardized inventory.

Interest Inventory for Grades 1-6

Play and Other Activities

1. What do you like to do in your free time?

2. What do you usually do after school? On weekends?

3. What are your favorite games?

4. Do you like making things? If so, what?

5. What special tools or playthings do you have at home?

6. Is there a tool or plaything you wish you had? If so, what?

7. Do you have pets? If so, what?

8. Do you collect things? If so, what?

9. Do you take private lessons (piano, tennis, etc.)?

10. If you could have 3 wishes, what would they be?

11. Did you ever wish you were someone else? If so, who?

12. Are you afraid of some things? If so, what?

13. About how many hours a day do you watch TV during the week?

On weekends?

14. What TV programs do you like?

15. About how many hours a day do you listen to the radio during the week?

On weekends?

16. What type of radio programs do you like?

17. How often do you attend movies?

18. What movies have you liked?

19. Do you play with computers? If yes, explain.

Reading

20. Do you like being read to? If so, what?

21. Do you enjoy hearing a story told? If so, by whom?

22. Do you like to read? If so, what kind of reading?

23. Do you like comic books? If so, which ones?

24. Do you like magazines? If so, which ones?

25. Are there books or stories you especially liked? If so, what ones and why?

26. Do you have books of your own? If so, about how many?

27. Do you use the school library? If so, about how often?

28. Do you use the public library? If so, about how often?

29. Which of the following do you enjoy, and are there special preferences?

a. Reading

b. Being read to

c. Attending movies

d. Listening to the radio

e. Watching TV

f. Participating in sports

g. Playing computer games

h. Other (playing piano, sports, dancing, sewing, etc.)

Other Comments:

Interest Inventory for Grades 7-12

Amusements and Other Activities

1. What do you like to do in your free time?

2. What do you usually do after school? In the evenings? On weekends or vacations?

3. What are your favorite sports? Do you participate or mainly observe?

4. Do you like to make things? If so, what?

5. What tools do you have at home?

6. Do you have pets? What are they?

7. Do you collect things? If so, what?

8. Do you take private lessons (piano, tennis, etc.)? If so, what?

9. Do you have any hobbies? If so, what?

10. If you could have one wish, what would it be?

11. Are you afraid of some things? If so, what?

Television, Radio, Movies, Music, Computers

12. About how many hours a day do you watch TV during the week? On weekends?

13. What TV programs do you like?

14. About how many hours a day do yo listen to the radio during the week? At other times?

15. How often do you attend movies?

16. What movies have you liked?

17. What singers do you like?

18. What musical groups do you like?

19. Do you enjoy computer games? If so, what kinds?

Reading

20. Do you like to read? What type of books do you like?

21. Are there any books you especially liked? If so, name them:

22. Do you enjoy hearing someone read or tell stories?

23. Do you use the school library? Often, seldom, or never?

24. Do you use the public library? Often, seldom, or never?

25. Do you have a library card?

26. Do you like comic books? If so, which ones?

27. Do you like magazines? If so, which ones?

28. Do you read newspapers? If so, what parts?

29. What kinds of reading do you enjoy (about animals, sports, people, space

travel, how-to books, etc.)?

Vocational and Educational Interests

30. What would you like to do after finishing school?

31. Is there anyone in television or the movies who does the type of work you would like to do? If so, who?

32. Have you done any reading pertaining to this?

33. Do you like school?

34. What subject do you like best?

35. What subject do you like least?

36. In what subject do you get your best marks?

37. In what subject do you get poor marks?

38. Do you plan to go to a post-secondary institution after high school?

39. Has any member of your family been to college? If so, who?

40. Would you like to travel outside Canada? If so, where?

Other Comments:

Adapted from an inventory from Paul A. Witty, Robert Sizemore, Ann Coomer and Paul Kinsella for use in Northwestern Univ. - US Office of Education. Used with permission by Anabel Newman, X504/X400 workbook.

There are also a number of on-line inventories that can be used with students.