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Unidirectional cycles of boredom, boredom coping strategies, and engagement among prospective teachers

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Abstract

This study examined the mediating roles of prospective teachers’ boredom coping strategies in the relationships between their levels of boredom and four aspects of engagement, and explored the unidirectional cycles of their levels of boredom, boredom coping strategies, and engagement. A total of 467 prospective teachers, majoring in primary school teaching, computer education and instructional technology teaching, mathematics teaching, English language teaching, special education teaching, and preschool teaching, voluntarily participated in the study. Structural equation modeling analyses were conducted to examine the reciprocal relationships between prospective teachers’ boredom, boredom coping strategies, and engagement. Results showed that the relationships between prospective teachers’ levels of boredom and cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, and behavioral engagement were significantly mediated by cognitive-approach strategies. Results also showed that the prospective teachers’ levels of boredom were reciprocally related to their emotional engagement through cognitive-approach strategies. Results suggest that the negative effects of boredom on cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, and behavioral engagement in the lessons can be significantly decreased by encouraging prospective teachers to adopt cognitive-approach strategies when they experience boredom. Results also suggest that prospective teachers may significantly decrease their levels of boredom not only by adopting cognitive-approach strategies, but also by increasing their emotional engagement during the lessons.

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  1. Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Education, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Golkoy Campus, 14280, Bolu, Turkey

    Altay Eren

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  1. Altay Eren
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Eren, A. Unidirectional cycles of boredom, boredom coping strategies, and engagement among prospective teachers. Soc Psychol Educ 19, 895–924 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-016-9348-8

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