Exploring the nature of the relation between interest and comprehension

This paper examines the complex relation between interest and comprehension recorded by postgraduate students in a language teacher education programme at various stages of two-hour lectures. The quantitative analysis suggests that its relationship with comprehension changes as the lecture continues. The analysis is also triangulated with the qualitative responses reported by students at different stages of the lecture. The type of comprehension that co-occurs with increasing interest differs from the type of comprehension that co-occurs with maintaining interest. Although the effect of comprehension on interest is low at the beginning of the lecture, its effect is more frequently noted as important at the later stages of the lecture. Postdictability (i.e., the ability to determine after the fact that unpredictability and difficulty that have been raised in the earlier parts of the lecture hang together and make sense) seems important in increasing interest, especially at the later stages of the lecture.