Boredom

This chapter examines boredom – an emotion often described as one of the plagues of modern societies. In educational settings, boredom is also often experienced. The chapter first outlines how boredom is defined and operationalized including current approaches to differentiating specific types of boredom. We further review the extent to which boredom has been investigated in the research literature and how it has been assessed. Empirical evidence on the prevalence of boredom in students is outlined, and preliminary findings on the frequency of boredom experiences in teachers is highlighted. Theoretical considerations and empirical findings are subsequently addressed concerning the effects and causes of academic boredom, as are relevant conceptual frameworks and findings on how to most effectively cope with boredom in educational settings. Implications for the prevention and reduction of boredom in the classroom following from empirical literature are then discussed. Finally, we outline potential next steps in research on academic boredom.