Challenge, Control, Perceptions of Competence and Boredom During an Experimental Science Task

The present study explores the relationship between challenge, control, perceptions of competence and boredom during an experimental science task. Seventh and eighth grade students (N=35) completed an easy or hard version of a timed, paper-pencil science task involving Punnett Squares. Before the task, students endorsed either an entity or incremental theory of intelligence. At four time points during the task students reported boredom, perceptions of challenge, control, and perceived competence. In the complete sample, challenge and control predicted boredom early in the task, while control and competence were more predictive of boredom later in the task. Although students were equally bored in the easy and the hard tasks, tests of the quadratic effect of perceptions of challenge on boredom revealed that at T2, students are least bored when challenge is moderate. Mixed within-between ANCOVAs were performed to ascertain whether there were any interactions or main effects of condition (easy, hard), perceptions of challenge, control on students' boredom. No interactions or main effects emerged, possibly due to the limited sample size. Tests of moderated mediation were conducted to determine whether theory of intelligence moderates the mediation of perceived competence on challenge predicting boredom, and were not significant.