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Need for Cognition Predicts Academic Interest Development but Not the Other Way Around: A Longitudinal Study of Secondary School Students.

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Title: Need for Cognition Predicts Academic Interest Development but Not the Other Way Around: A Longitudinal Study of Secondary School Students.
Authors: Matthes, Julia1 (AUTHOR), Scherrer, Vsevolod1 (AUTHOR), Preckel, Franzis1 (AUTHOR) preckel@uni‐trier.de
Source: Child Development. Sep/Oct2025, Vol. 96 Issue 5, p1675-1687. 13p.
Subject Terms: *Secondary school students, *Mathematics education, *German language education, *English language education, *Academic motivation, *Student engagement, *Intrinsic motivation
Abstract: Need for cognition (NFC) reflects the tendency to enjoy and engage in cognitive challenges. This study examines the relations between NFC and academic interest among 922 German secondary school students (academic track) assessed four times in Grades 5–7 (initial age M = 10.63, SD = 0.55; 41% female; 90% first language German) in mathematics, German, and English. Data were collected between 2008 and 2012 and were analyzed using autoregressive cross‐lagged panel models. In all domains, NFC positively predicted subsequent academic interest (β = 0.03 to β = 0.17) but interest did not positively predict subsequent NFC. Findings were comparable after controlling for students' achievement, gender, socioeconomic status, and class type. They suggest that NFC is a potential facilitator of the development of academic interest in school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Child Development is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Need for Cognition Predicts Academic Interest Development but Not the Other Way Around: A Longitudinal Study of Secondary School Students.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Matthes%2C+Julia%22">Matthes, Julia</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Scherrer%2C+Vsevolod%22">Scherrer, Vsevolod</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Preckel%2C+Franzis%22">Preckel, Franzis</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> preckel@uni‐trier.de</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Child+Development%22">Child Development</searchLink>. Sep/Oct2025, Vol. 96 Issue 5, p1675-1687. 13p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+school+students%22">Secondary school students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mathematics+education%22">Mathematics education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22German+language+education%22">German language education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+language+education%22">English language education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+motivation%22">Academic motivation</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+engagement%22">Student engagement</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intrinsic+motivation%22">Intrinsic motivation</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Need for cognition (NFC) reflects the tendency to enjoy and engage in cognitive challenges. This study examines the relations between NFC and academic interest among 922 German secondary school students (academic track) assessed four times in Grades 5–7 (initial age M = 10.63, SD = 0.55; 41% female; 90% first language German) in mathematics, German, and English. Data were collected between 2008 and 2012 and were analyzed using autoregressive cross‐lagged panel models. In all domains, NFC positively predicted subsequent academic interest (β = 0.03 to β = 0.17) but interest did not positively predict subsequent NFC. Findings were comparable after controlling for students' achievement, gender, socioeconomic status, and class type. They suggest that NFC is a potential facilitator of the development of academic interest in school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Child Development is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1111/cdev.14262
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 13
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      – SubjectFull: Secondary school students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mathematics education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: German language education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: English language education
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      – SubjectFull: Academic motivation
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      – SubjectFull: Student engagement
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      – SubjectFull: Intrinsic motivation
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      – TitleFull: Need for Cognition Predicts Academic Interest Development but Not the Other Way Around: A Longitudinal Study of Secondary School Students.
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            NameFull: Scherrer, Vsevolod
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            – D: 01
              M: 09
              Text: Sep/Oct2025
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              Y: 2025
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