Existing research shows consistent links between boredom and depression, somatic complaints, substance abuse, or obesity and eating disorders. However, comparatively little is known about potential psychological and physical health-related correlates of academic boredom. Evidence for such a relationship can be derived from the literature, as boredom has adverse consequences in both work and achievement-related settings. The present study investigates latent correlations of 1.484 adolescents’ (M_age = 13.23) mathematics boredom scores at three time points during a semester in 2018/19 and their Rasch scaled health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Moreover, we applied latent growth curve modeling to estimate boredom trajectories across the semester and determined the relationship between the latent growth parameters of student boredom and HRQoL in bivariate correlation analyses. Our results show that boredom is significantly negatively linked with all HRQoL dimensions (physical well-being, psychological well-being, autonomy and parent relation, social support and peers, school environment [SCH], and general HRQoL [GH]). Furthermore, stronger increases in boredom across the semester were negatively associated with SCH scores and GH. In conclusion, given that boredom is negatively linked with HRQoL and that stronger boredom growth is linked with more severe health-related problems, signs of academic boredom could be an early warning signal for adolescents’ potentially severe problems.

Existing research shows that high achievement boredom is correlated with a range of undesirable behavioral and personality variables and that the main antecedents of boredom are being over- or under-challenged. However, merely knowing that students are highly bored, without taking their achievement level into account, might be insufficient for drawing conclusions about students’ behavior and personality. We, therefore, investigated if low- vs. high-achieving students who experience strong mathematics boredom show different behaviors and personality traits. The sample consisted of 1,404 German secondary school students (fifth to 10th grade, mean age 12.83 years, 52% female). We used self-report instruments to assess boredom in mathematics, behavioral (social and emotional problems, positive/negative affect, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression), and personality variables (neuroticism and conscientiousness). In comparing highly bored students (more than one SD above M, n = 258) who were low vs. high achievers (as indicated by the math grade, n = 125 / n = 119), results showed that there were no mean level differences across those groups for all variables. In conclusion, our results suggest that high boredom can occur in both low- and high-achieving students and that bored low- and high-achievers show similar behaviors and personality profiles.

Background: Recent research on boredom suggests that it can emerge in situations characterized by over‐ and under‐challenge. In learning contexts, this implies that high boredom may be experienced both by low‐ and high‐achieving students. Aims: This research aimed to explore the existence and prevalence of boredom due to being over‐ and under‐challenged in mathematics, for which empirical evidence is lacking. Sample: We employed a sample of 1.407 students (fifth to ninth graders) from all three secondary school tracks (lower, middle and upper) in Bavaria (Germany). Methods: Boredom was assessed via self‐report and achievement via a standardized mathematics test. We used latent profile analysis to identify groups characterized by different levels of boredom and achievement, and we additionally examined gender and school track as group membership predictors. Results: Results revealed four distinct groups, of which two showed considerably high boredom. One was coupled with low achievement on the test (i.e. ‘over‐challenged group’, 13% of the total sample), and one was coupled with high achievement (i.e. ‘under‐challenged group’, 21%). Furthermore, we found a low boredom and high achievement (i.e. ‘well‐off group’, 27%) and a relatively low boredom low achievement group (i.e. ‘indifferent group’, 39%). Girls were overrepresented in the over‐challenged group, and students from the upper school track were underrepresented in the under‐challenged group. Conclusion: Our research emphasizes the need to openly discuss and further investigate boredom due to being over‐ and under‐challenged.

Emotions influence processes of learning and thinking in all people. However, there is a lack of studies in the field of emotion research including people with intellectual disabilities (ID) addressing the existing diversity. The present study investigates the emotional competence of people with ID (N = 32). The first aim was to assess the emotional development using the Scale of Emotional Development (SEED). Based on these insights, the second objective was to replicate existing findings, validating the emotional reaction of people with ID to pictures of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) based on self-reports. In an additional pilot-like analysis, the third aim was to investigate if these self-reported emotional reactions match the emotions expressed in their faces using the automated and video-based facial expression analysis software ‘Affectiva (Affdex SDK)’. In the present study, the self-reported emotional reactions of participants with ID were in line with previous research. In addition, the present study shows the general potential of this innovative approach of using and applying commercially available automated emotion recognition software for the field of special needs and social science.

Existing research shows consistent links between boredom and depression, somatic complaints, substance abuse, or obesity and eating disorders. However, comparatively little is known about potential psychological and physical health-related correlates of academic boredom. Evidence for such a relationship can be derived from literature, as boredom has adverse consequences in both, work and achievement-related settings. The present study investigates latent correlations of 1.484 adolescents’ (Mage 13.23) mathematics boredom scores at three time points during a semester and their Rasch scaled health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Moreover, we applied latent growth curve modeling to estimate boredom trajectories across the semester and determined the relationship between the latent growth parameters of student boredom and HRQoL in bivariate correlation analyses. Our results show that boredom is significantly negatively linked with all HRQoL dimensions (physical well-being, psychological well-being, autonomy and parent relation, social support and peers, school environment [SCH], and general HRQoL [GH]). Furthermore, stronger increases of boredom across the semester were negatively associated with SCH scores and GH. In conclusion, given that boredom is negatively linked with HRQoL and that stronger boredom growth is linked with more severe health-related problems, signs of academic boredom could be an early warning signal for adolescents’ potentially severe problems.

Existing research shows that high scholastic boredom is correlated with a range of undesirable behaviors and personality traits and that the main antecedents of boredom are being over- or under-challenged. No study to date, though, seems to have systematically compared students who are highly bored and low-achieving (thus, likely over-challenged) with students who are highly bored and high-achieving (thus, likely under-challenged). Hence, merely knowing that students are highly bored might be insufficient for drawing conclusions about students’ behavior and personality, without taking their achievement level into account. We, therefore, investigated if low- versus high-achieving students who experience strong mathematics boredom show different behaviors and personality traits. The sample consisted of 1,404 German secondary school students (fifth to 10th grade, mean age 12.83 years, 52% female). We used self-report instruments to assess boredom in mathematics, behavior (social and emotional problems, positive/negative affect, emotion regulation), and personality traits (neuroticism and conscientiousness). In comparing highly bored students (more than one SD above M, n = 258) who were low versus high achievers (as indicated by the math grade, n = 125 / n = 119), results showed that there were no mean level differences across those groups for the behavior and personality trait constructs, with only three exceptions: conduct problems and expressive suppression (higher for low achievers) and positive affect (higher for high achievers). In conclusion, our results suggest that high boredom can occur in both low and high achieving students and that bored low- and high-achievers show largely similar behaviors and personality profiles.