TABLE 7.

Common measurement aspects assessed by single-item and single-aspect scales

Type of interest measurement	Description of interest measurement	No. of papers using	Examples of items from each measurement type
Interest focused	Questionnaires exclusively using the word “interest” or “interesting” when asking about student’s interest. Typically, these scales were used to probe students’ interest for certain activities or topics.	24	How interesting do you find object A?Response options: 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).a
Affect focused	Questionnaires that included only affect-related items (i.e., feeling, liking, enjoyment, boredom) and occasionally included items using the word “interest,” which could not be separated from affect, given the scale.	10	How do you feel about watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?Response options: 5 = It’s awesome, 4 = It’s cool, 3 = It’s okay, 2 = It’s not cool, 1 = It’s boring.b
Want to learn	Instances in which items asked students whether they wanted to learn a topic or whether it should be taught in science. These scales are then interpreted as interest.	12	How interested are you in learning about the following?1. Animals in other parts of the world2. Dinosaurs, how they lived and why they died out Response options: 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).c

^aStrgar, 2007.

^bParis et al., 1998.

^cSchreiner and Sjøberg, 2004. Referenced by three papers in our review.