Phase #1: Triggered Situational Interest

This is the momentary catching of attention which can be sparked by the environment, text features, activities, mutual hobbies, etc. "Instructional conditions or learning environments that include group work, puzzles, computers, and so on have been found to trigger situational interest" (Hidi & Renninger 2006). It is typically, but not solely, externally supported.

• Ex: I play a recording of the piece(s) we are going to sing/play and the students respond with immediate appreciation or interest in musical elements. There is the possibility that this phase of interest is likely to fade rather quickly with time. 

Phase #2: Maintained Situational Interest

This phase usually develops as a result of becoming involved and finding meaning in the content. Interest is held and sustained through meaningfulness of tasks and/or personal involvement. According to Hidi and Renninger's article written in 2006, instructional conditions or learning environments that help promote this phase include cooperative group work, project-based learning, and one-on-one tutoring. It is typically, but not solely, externally supported. 

• Ex: Students spend time learning the fundamentals of the piece(s) like pitches, rhythms, style, etc. As they learn more of the content that the subject material consists of, their attention and interest are being sustained through the meaningfulness of the music and effective teaching techniques. 

Phase #3: Emerging Individual Interest

A more student-initiated interest in particular content or activities. "Emerging individual interest is characterized by positive feelings, stored knowledge, and stored value" (Hidi & Renninger 2006). Based on previous engagement, the student values the opportunity to reengage in tasks related to their individual interest. It is typically, but not solely, self-generated. It does require some external support in the form of models or their peers.

• Ex: Students feel excited about rehearsing specific pieces of music over others because of their individual connections and interest in the music. Their interest emerges from their individual positive feelings and stored knowledge associated with the music. 

Phase #4: Well-Developed Individual Interest

This is a deep interest in a particular activity or content area sustained and regulated by the individual. It "enables a person to sustain long-term constructive and creative endeavors and generates more types and deeper levels of strategies for work with tasks" (Hidi & Renninger 2006). This phase is typically, but not solely, self-generated. "Instructional conditions or the learning environment can facilitate the development and deepening of interest by providing opportunities that include interaction and challenge that leads to knowledge building" (Hidi & Renninger 2006).

• Ex: A student pursues greater musical technique and knowledge. This may include greater dexterity, vocal agility, range, and general content knowledge. Students may also spend time researching other pieces of music within the same time period and make connections about style, musicality, and historical context. As a result, the student gains a much deeper level of understanding of musical knowledge and demonstrates well-developed individual interest because they're self-regulating and sustaining the absorption of information. 

• Levels of learning

• • Interest tends to lead towards more comprehension and retention in students 

    • "Interested and personally affected students showed superior comprehension of text and author intentions, when compared to students not so affected." (Hidi 1990) 

    • Ex: Teachers who relate the content to pop culture are more likely to have students who retain the content they are teaching

    • "Individual interests have a profound effect on cognitive function and performance," (Hidi 1990) 

  • Proximal Development Zone 

    • The place between too easy and too hard, already known and completely unknown allows students to learn best (Brophy 1999)

    • Ex: If a student knows how to read all the notes on the treble clef staff and can do it easily, a test based around notes on the treble clef staff would not interest the student because it would be too easy. On the other hand, basing a test around the notes on the bass clef staff would not interest the students because it would be too unknown. Rather, one should make an assignment to help the student figure out how to find the notes on the ledger lines above and below the treble clef staff. 

• Seductive Details

  • Details that do not add to the learning of the subject. 

  • "The literature clearly shows that interesting but unimportant information frequently disrupts the learning of more important ideas." (Hidi 1990)

Each phase of interest is characterized by varying amounts of knowledge, affect, and value. People must be intrigued, positively influenced, and find value in what they are learning because "interest is the outcome of an interaction between a person and a particular content" (Hidi & Renninger 2006). Experience, temperament, and genetics will influence the length and character of a given phase.  For example, a music student may jump at the opportunity to learn to play the flute if they have a genetic predisposition to music, their environment fosters music, or they have had experience playing another instrument. Students must also be supported throughout the first two phases to sustain and develop interest. However, if any of these factors are undermined, interest will surely be lost. For example, if the student isn't supplied with the proper materials, doesn't have any experience in music, and/or doesn't develop any value out of the content, then their level of interest is much more likely to diminish quickly. Genetically, interested activity has a biological foundation in all mammals. "It is a biological foundation of the psychological state of interest in the sense that the person is engaged physically, cognitively, or symbolically with the object of his or her interest" (Hidi & Renninger 2006). 

• Relate the content to the students

• Be enthusiastic about what you are teaching

  • Having the teacher model by showing how they go through the problem and what makes them passionate about the subject. (Brophy, 1999)

• Create an exciting classroom environment

• Give students different content that is within the same idea

• Make the topic relatable to a goal in the "Real World"

• Humans are social beings, making a project social will help many students, depending on your class.

• Having a model, wether it is something you made or do will help students see an achievable end.