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Overview
Overview
Often, Calvin moves partially through the 4 stages of Interest Theory. While he is interested in several topics throughout the comics, he lacks interest in most educational settings. This means that in order for Calvin to strive in an educational context, the facilitation of his interest is crucial to further his development.
Phase O-No Interest
Phase O-No Interest
Phase 0 refers to the lack of interest in a given subject. Throughout the comic, Calvin appears uninterested and unmotivated in school. He uses any excuse he can to get out of doing whatever they are doing in school. Calvin has a lot of built-up energy, using Hobbes and his intricate imagination to create his own world of his own interests.
Phase 1-Triggered Situational Interest
Phase 1-Triggered Situational Interest
Phase 1 considers that we must first redirect his interest in the moment to push him into the later stages. As we can see in the comic strip above, Calvin and Hobbes come across a snake. Hobbes facilitates this process by asking a question that gets Calvin involved and interested in the snake. This is the start of the 4-Phase model. In other words, this snake triggers his situational interest through an external source. Even if he wasn't before this moment, we can assume that Calvin is at least somewhat interested in snakes based on the conversation between Hobbes and him.
Phase 2-Maintained Situational Interest
Phase 2-Maintained Situational Interest
The comic to the right shows Calvin and Hobbes chasing after the snake with maintained interest. With the seed planted, Calvin is maintaining his original interest in the snake, and his curiosity increases. He continues to ask questions about the snake, with his undivided attention on the snake.
In the comic strip above we can see that Calvin continues to investigate the snake. He follows the snake and comes up with more questions about the snake based on his observations. He realizes his lack of knowledge on this topic and his individual interest emerges. Hobbes considers getting a book on snakes to learn more about them, moving him into the next phase Interest theory describes.
Phase 3-Emerging Individual Interest
Phase 3-Emerging Individual Interest
Phase 4-Well Developed Individual Interest
Phase 4-Well Developed Individual Interest
In the comic strip above we see Calvin and Hobbes racing back home to learn more about this snake. Throughout this scene, we see Calvin following his piqued interest in order to learn. For a moment, he second guesses his interest, assuming he doesn't want to learn. However, Hobbes reassures him that it is fun to learn when you are interested in the topic you are learning. Calvin reaches the end of the 4-Phase model through the facilitation of his interest in the snake, which, notably, does not always happen. This shows that, guided correctly, Calvin has the potential to learn anything that piques his interest.
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