The predictors of academic interest: fluid intelligence, openness, and their interaction

Abstract

The importance of academic interest has been emphasised in education, both as a construct influencing achievement, and as an important learning outcome. However, psychological predictors such as personality and intelligence that characterise students who become interested in coursework are often neglected. The present study examined the influences of fluid intelligence (Gf) and Openness on academic interest in a large sample of Chinese secondary school students (N = 836). Latent variable models found that controlling for age and gender, Openness significantly predicted interest in Chinese, mathematics, and English, whereas Gf only significantly predicted Chinese interest. Beyond the main effects, Gf and Openness also had an interaction effect on academic interest but only for Chinese. The findings represent an important contribution to understanding the psychological predictors of academic interest, although the effect sizes were relatively small.