A Study on Educational Interest Among People and Comparison with the Background of their Academic Area

To investigate people's educational interests, compare them to their academic areas, and discover gender differences in educational interest. 190 people's data was collected from Google form within the general population. People's academic areas were asked to be compared with their educational interests, which were later recorded. The Google form was created by the investigator using Dr S.P. Kulshrestha’s Educational Interest Record. It measures interest in seven areas agriculture, commerce, fine arts, home sciences, humanities, science, and technology. Data scoring and analysis are carried out with the help of descriptive statistics. We can say that there are differences between their educational interests and academic areas. Gender differences exist among people regarding educational interests. People's current educational interests are dominated by the fine arts, followed by commerce, home science, science, humanities, technology, and agriculture, respectively.


Introduction
Today's student-centered education emphasizes the holistic growth of the student.Curriculum plays an important role in an individual's education, but other factors influence an individual's education and academic performance.It is a liking for studying the subjects which the student has to study.Interest in education can be developed by providing a good educational environment, with a focus on the long-term benefits of education.Interest can hold a student's attention, encourage effort, and support learning.It also has been found to enhance strategic processing.Furthermore, students can experience more than one type of interest concurrently.Interest is a powerful motivational process that stimulates learning, guides academic and professional careers, and is essential to academic success.Interest is a psychological state of attention and influence on a particular object or subject and a persistent tendency to re-engage over time (Education Interest Introduction -Google Search, n.d.).

Need and Significance of the study
The term interest can describe two different experiences: "The experience of a moment of immersion in an object and the lasting feeling that it is both pleasing and worthy of further exploration.Interest, therefore, can be defined as increased attention, effort, and emotion experienced at a particular moment (situational interest) and a sustained tendency to reconnect to a particular object or topic over time (personal interest) are both psychological states characterized by In addition to highlighting the conceptual richness of interest, duality also adds to the complexity of defining interest precisely.It is a combination of cognitive properties such as attention paid and perceived value" (Hidi & Renninger, 2006).Due to the lack of interest in the work of people as seen in their work life, the choices of their interest area differ for many reasons.Thus to check and find out there is a difference in their academic area and educational interest and to know the differences concerning gender is also a need in the present scenario.Thus the study is significant.

Literature Review
Harackiewicz et al., (2016) conducted a study on Interest suggesting that it is a powerful motivational process that stimulates learning, guides academic and professional careers, and is essential for academic success.Four interventions to raise awareness make sense.Attention-grabbing settings, a context that evokes previous personal interests, problem-based learning, and enhanced utility.Mohta, (2013) conducted research to measure interest in seven areas-Agriculture, Commerce, Fine Arts, Home-Science, Humanities, Science and Technology.And the current educational trend among young children is the highest interest in technology, then commerce, fine arts, science, humanities, home science and the least interest in agriculture.In the present study, the educational interest record by Dr Kulshrestha's inventory is used to study and calculate the educational interest among people.

Variables of the study
• Academic Area: An academic discipline or field of study is known as a branch of knowledge.It is taught as an accredited part of higher education.A scholar's discipline is commonly defined and recognized by a university faculty.That person will be accredited by learned societies to which they belong along with the academic journals in which they publish.However, no formal criteria exist for defining an academic discipline("List of Academic Fields," 2023).
In the present study, the educational interest record by Dr Kulshrestha's inventory is used to study and calculate the educational interest among people.• Gender: Male and female are the categorical variables used to check the differences in educational interest concerning gender.Objectives of the study 1.To investigate the Educational Interest among people and check the difference in their Academic Area. 2. To check the Gender differences in Educational Interest among people compared with their Academic Area.

Hypotheses of the study
1.There is no significant difference in Educational Interest among people compared with their Academic Area. 2. There is no significant difference in gender in Educational Interest among people compared with their Academic Area.

Research Methodology
Random sampling technique was used to collect the data.The survey method was used.The Google form was created by the investigator using Dr S.P. Kulshrestha's Educational Interest Record.190 people's data was collected from Google form within the general population.People's academic areas were asked to be compared with their educational interests, which were later recorded.The seven educational interest areas cover 98 educational items.These seven main areas are Agriculture (AG), Commerce (Co), Fine Arts (FA), Home Science (HS), Humanities (HS), Sciences (SC), and Technology (TE).

Analysis and Interpretation of data
Raw scores were calculated using the scoring method as shown in the manual.According to the manual, values in the range 0 to 1 were considered low-Interest rate; 2-3 considered below-average interest rate, 4-5 considered average Interest, 6-9 considered above average interest, and 10-14 considered high interest.
The scores obtained using the tool, the Google form is prepared, and the academic area of the people is given in table 1  Hence there is a difference.

Findings of the study
• We can say by seeing the data that there are differences between their educational interests and academic areas.• Gender differences exist among people regarding educational interests and academic areas.

Conclusion
The data confirmed that the academic area of the people chosen is different from their Educational Interests.It also shows that gender differences in opting for subjects and their educational interest are different.Hence the study shows the need for guidance to opt for the academic area in the first place.It may reduce the gap between choosing an academic area and their educational interest.

•
Males are more interested in Science, Humanities, Technology, and Agriculture and Females are more interested in Fine art, Commerce, and Home Science.• People's current educational interests are dominated by the fine arts, followed by commerce, home science, science, humanities, technology, and agriculture, respectively.

Table 1 : Academic Area
:By the above data, we can confirm that Hypotheses 1 are rejected and alternate hypotheses are accepted.Hence there is a difference.

Table 2 : Educational Interest Record among people:
By the above data, we can confirm that Hypotheses 2 are rejected and alternate hypotheses are accepted.