practice curiosity essay

Elizabeth J. Peterson

Thinking Through Philosophy, Culture, and Psychology

practice curiosity essay

How to Practice Curiosity

“I constantly see people rise in life who are not the smartest, sometimes not even the most diligent, but they are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than they were when they got up and boy does that help, particularly when you have a long run ahead of you. Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Step by step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. But you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts. Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day. At the end of the day – if you live long enough – most people get what they deserve.” – Charlie Munger, Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger (emphasis mine).

How does one go to bed wiser than they woke up? Is voracious learning something we must be lucky enough to be born with, or can one become a learning machine? Curiosity is a skill we can grow. The key to voracious learning is finding topics of interest, then expanding that number of topics. We do this by practicing curiosity. Channel your inner four-year-old. Ask questions about the foundations of a topic. Be willing to ask the basic or seemingly dumb questions. The more you learn, the more insightful, influential and important questions you’ll be able to ask. Following your curiosity is like following a treasure map to rich new discoveries. Curiosity is not an absence of knowledge, but an interest in how one’s accumulated knowledge relates to the yet-to-be-discovered.

We practice curiosity by asking questions. We grow by understanding how new information relates to our current knowledge or previous endeavors. Learning is a conversation, not a download.

One method of practicing curiosity is to ask three questions about new information you come across. Ask yourself who made the statement, why they might have said it, and what you think it means. Let’s use the Charlie Munger quote as an example. You might know Mr. Munger as the more social side of the partnership running Berkshire Hathaway; Munger is and has been legendary investor Warren Buffet’s friend and business partner for more than forty years. Over the decades, Munger has offered much insight into how the pair make investment decisions, the kinds of information they find valuable, and how younger people can become more successful, faster. Knowing his background sheds some light on how to receive his advice and perspective. We know that he thinks in terms of long-term return and is not a disciple of the “always be hustling” mentality. We also know that he isn’t particularly swayed by trends and prefers more time-tested business models and commodities.

Next, why did Munger offer this statement? It appears he was pondering how to succeed in life, perhaps asked a basic question on success in general – or perhaps a more specific question asking what qualities he’s observed in people who have succeeded compared to others who have not. This is long-term advice aimed at the general public, not an answer to a narrow query. Munger offers his opinion on a general observation; he is not etching qualifications into stone. The quote was included in his book, which aims to gather all the lessons and advice Munger has accumulated over his long career.

Thirdly, what do you think it means? Munger states clearly that his observations reveal a habit of people who typically succeed in life, those who tend to rise to the occasion and pass through; that habit is making learning a daily choice. Learning is an act of optimism and a long-term strategy for success. How can we put his advice into practice?

Seven quick tips for learning every day:

  • Make a habit of seeking out new and quality information.
  • Prune your current information sources by removing low-quality inputs and adding higher-quality sources.
  • Write down what you learn.
  • Revisit your older notes, to refresh your memory, and rediscover figures, mental models, ideas, etc.
  • Ask questions about the videos, essays, books, passages, etc., you come across in a day. Some examples include, “If this x true, what does it imply about y?” ; “How can my thinking be less wrong about this topic?” ; “ What are the different viewpoints around this topic?” .
  • Look up the references in the books and articles you read, or in the YouTube videos you watch.
  • Share what you learn in conversations or in writing. “When one teaches, two learn,” as author Robert Heinlein says.

Munger’s advice applies not only to specific tasks required of particular jobs, but also broadly to life. When you’re focused on learning, you don’t care about appearing foolish or unskilled – you already know you’re unskilled. You can then focus on closing the gap between your ability and your goals . This intellectual humility drives growth. Choosing to learn something every single day is to repeat that process of humility and growth each day. This process of daily growth also builds resilience and persistence, qualities required for any amount of sustained success. Perhaps learning itself isn’t the predictor of success, but rather the personal qualities that learning develops forge a more successful path and drives growth.

Asking questions, taking notes, and learning new things every day continues to be the sage advice of investors, philosophers , readers, and writers. Our success in the Information Age is defined by our ability to remain curious, and willing to explore the unknown.

Imagine what you could learn in month. Imagine what you could accomplish in a year – in ten years. It all starts with today .

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Curiosity: The Force Within a Hungry Mind

Stimulate your students’ curiosity by encouraging valuable questions and tinkering, looking for teachable moments, and building lessons around current events and critical thinking.

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What makes children want to learn? According to research, it's the joy of exploration -- a hidden force that drives learning, critical thinking, and reasoning. We call this ability curiosity , and we recognize it in children when we see them exploring their environment, devouring books and information, asking questions, investigating concepts, manipulating data, searching for meaning, connecting with people and nature, and seeking new learning experiences.

The Heart of Lifelong Learning

Most teachers understand that curiosity supercharges learning. But they also know that many students can achieve high grades without being curious -- by understanding the system of test-taking and dutifully doing their homework. Curious children often spend a great deal of time reading and acquiring knowledge because they sense a gap between what they know and what they want to know -- not because they are motivated by grades. In fact, when kids are in curiosity's grip, they often forget the immediate goals at hand because they are preoccupied with learning.

If you suspect that curious kids fare better in careers and life, you're right, and for a variety of reasons. Research suggests that intellectual curiosity has as big of an effect on performance as hard work . When put together, curiosity and hard work account for success just as much as intelligence. Another study found that people who were curious about a topic retained what they learned for longer periods of time . And even more impressive, research has linked curiosity to a wide range of important adaptive behaviors , including tolerance of anxiety and uncertainty, positive emotions, humor, playfulness, out-of-box thinking, and a noncritical attitude -- all attributes associated with healthy social outcomes.

Curiosity is part of The Compass Advantage ™ (a model created for engaging families, schools, and communities in the principles of positive youth development) because it is at the heart of lifelong learning. Curiosity not only gives children an advantage in school, but today's business leaders agree that it is also at the heart of thriving organizations.

Compass with Curiosity highlighted and other points of Sociability, Resilience, Self-Awareness, Integrity, Resourcefulness, Creativity, and Empathy

Psychologists view curiosity as a life force, vital to happiness, intellectual growth, and well being. It is interconnected with each of the other abilities on the Compass -- sociability, resilience, self-awareness, integrity, resourcefulness, creativity, and empathy. Like most human abilities, curiosity also has a dark side. After all, it did kill the cat! And without proper nurturing by teachers and parents, unregulated curiosity can lead students down rabbit holes that waste time, obstruct goals, or damage health.

The greatest advantage of curiosity lies in its power to motivate learning in areas of life and work that are meaningful to the learner. It points students toward the knowledge, skills, relationships, and experiences that they need to live full and productive lives. Curiosity is one of the 8 Pathways to Every Student's Success .

10 Ways to Stimulate a Student's Curiosity

1. value and reward curiosity..

Often, the temptation is to reward students when their curiosity leads to a desired outcome or good grade. But it's more important to notice and reinforce curiosity when you see it in action. When you praise students by describing how their questions, explorations, and investigations are contributing to their own or classroom learning, you let them know that they are valued for their motivation, regardless of the grade they achieve.

2. Teach students how to ask quality questions.

Quality questions are a vital medium for curiosity. Google is great at finding answers but doesn't stimulate the formation of questions. Good questions contain "why," "what if," and "how." An excellent book for understanding the art of questioning is A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger.

3. Notice when kids feel puzzled or confused.

Is there a "teachable moment" that will spark a desire to search for answers? How can you invite students to see problems as mysteries waiting to be solved?

4. Encourage students to tinker.

Tinkering might be constructive play with feelings, concepts, ideas, and materials. How can students create a new widget, essay, blog article, poem, science experiment, service, or product from their explorations? Tinkering with materials, thoughts, and emotions stimulates curiosity and leads to innovative outcomes.

5. Spread the curiosity around.

Create opportunities for more-curious and less-curious students to work together in project-based learning . Curiosity is contagious in groups working toward a real-world common goal, helping to cross-pollinate questions and new ideas.

6. Use current events.

News reports can lead students to ask purposeful questions that help unearth what's beneath the surface of societal problems. According to research, asking "why" is the critical ingredient in unraveling these difficult conflicts. This often gets to the fundamental reason for why people disagree about solutions.

7. Teach students to be skeptics.

The term skeptic is derived from the Greek skeptikos , meaning "to inquire" or "to look around." A skeptic requires additional evidence before accepting someone's claims as true. He or she is willing to challenge the status quo with open-minded, deep questioning. Galileo was a skeptic. So was Steve Jobs.

8. Explore a variety of cultures and societies.

How is one culture or society uniquely different from another one? Encourage students to investigate their genetic or emotional links to other cultures. Why do they relate to certain beliefs or values that other societies hold?

9. Model curiosity.

You can do this in your respectful relationships with students by exploring their interests, expanding upon their ideas, and engaging them in meaningful dialogue about what matters most.

10. Encourage curiosity at home.

Help parents understand the importance of curiosity in their child's development and suggest ways that they can foster it at home. Supportive caregivers can have a tremendous impact on developing curiosity and other essential abilities.

How do you foster curiosity in your students? Please share in the comments section below.

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practice curiosity essay

The What, Why & How of Intellectual Curiosity

One crucial aspect of engagement during high school is intellectual curiosity—when a student goes above and beyond the requirements of a class or dives deep into a subject on their own time. Here's how adolescent psychologist Michael W. Austin defines intellectual curiosity:

The intellectually curious person has a deep and persistent desire to know. She asks and seeks answers to the "why" questions. And she doesn't stop asking at a surface level, but instead asks probing questions in order to peel back layers of explanation to get at the foundational ideas concerning a particular issue.

Intellectually curious students spend their free time learning just for the fun of it. They dive deep into topics and subjects in which they're interested. They routinely seek knowledge and often engage with others in the pursuit of understanding. Intellectual curiosity makes learning a lot more organic—and much less of a chore. Universities want academically curious people – some colleges even ask specifically about it. For example, on their Common Application supplement, Stanford asks applicants: "Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging."  Intellectual curiosity can be demonstrated in academic records, the application essay, the resume, and other items in your admissions application.

practice curiosity essay

The College MatchPoint Guide to Engagement In High School

The most successful college applicants have engaged in activities that are based on their interests, aptitudes, and motivations. This guide presents our i4 framework and walks you through how your student can optimize their interest, involvement, initiative, and impact to successfully engage during high school and develop into a strong college applicant.

How do you awaken and nurture your student's intellectual curiosity? Here are 3 steps for parents to focus on with their children:

1. Encourage them to embrace intellectual challenges 

Encourage your teen to explore subjects that interest them when selecting high school classes. Students who love math should challenge themselves with AP, IB, or other honors courses that will prepare them for advanced math in college. If your student enjoys languages, encourage them to choose one and study it to the highest level offered. And if your teen is curious about elective high school courses—from Philosophy or Psychology to Macroeconomics or Film—support them in diving into these subjects. High school is the perfect time to explore areas of interest while taking as challenging a course load as the student can handle while still earning excellent grades. Extracurricular and summer activities can also provide avenues for students to deepen their interests.

2. Figure out what makes them tick

Many high school students need a bit of time—and perhaps some guidance—to explore potential interests. In middle and high school, make space for your student to experiment with different possibilities for intellectual engagement. Encourage them to notice which activities or questions spark their interest, and then feed their curiosity with books, podcasts, documentaries, YouTube videos, music, projects, or any other medium that lets them plunge into their topic of choice.

Strive to be enthusiastic about your student's interests. You may have a vision of your child's future college, major, or career, but true intellectual curiosity ignites when a student has the chance to explore—in their own way—a subject that resonates with them. One of the most exciting things about nurturing your middle or high schooler's curiosity is that you never know where it may lead them. 

"I personally have never seen a student that was not curious about something. I have seen many students who have suppressed their curiosity when they enter school to such an extent as to be nearly undetectable, but it is still there. Human beings are hardwired to be curious and being curious is a major activity of childhood and young adulthood." – Ben Johnson, author of Teaching Students to Dig Deeper

3. Support them in becoming an active learner

Being intellectually curious doesn't mean spending high school with your nose stuck in a textbook. Your teen may be the kind of person who learns best through participation in projects, experiments, or other hands-on activities. Active learners dive into hands-on activities that bring the concepts they're studying to life. Once they've found a topic they think about endlessly, help them find ways to engage—through classes, clubs, mentorship, research, volunteering, or a job—with people who share their interest. 

Here are a few examples of active learning:

  • A student who excels at physics may nurture a budding interest in mechanical engineering by taking a summer job in an auto repair shop and learning how to revamp an internal combustion engine. 
  • A book lover with a passion for education might start a club that teaches literacy skills to underserved children. 
  • A student who is curious about diseases could do an independent research project with a mentor from their school or participate in research at a local university. 

Students who challenge themselves intellectually, figure out what makes them tick, and engage in their fields of interest in high school gain a deeper sense of their priorities and values. This is excellent preparation for helping them choose a college and their eventual career.

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practice curiosity essay

The Business Case for Curiosity

Research shows that it leads to higher-performing, more-adaptable firms. by Francesca Gino

practice curiosity essay

Summary .   

Although leaders might say they value inquisitive minds, in reality most stifle curiosity, fearing it will increase risk and inefficiency. Harvard Business School’s Francesca Gino elaborates on the benefits of and common barriers to curiosity in the workplace and offers five strategies for bolstering it. Leaders should hire for curiosity, model inquisitiveness, emphasize learning goals, let workers explore and broaden their interests, and have “Why?” “What if…?” and “How might we…?” days. Doing so will help their organizations adapt to uncertain market conditions and external pressures and boost the business’s success.

The Five Dimensions of Curiosity

Psychologists have come to realize that curiosity is not a monolithic trait. George Mason University’s Todd B. Kashdan, David J. Disabato, and Fallon R. Goodman, along with linguist and educational scientist Carl Naughton, break it down into five distinct dimensions: deprivation sensitivity, joyous exploration, social curiosity, stress tolerance, and thrill seeking. They explore which dimensions lead to the best outcomes and generate particular benefits in work and life.

From Curious to Competent

The executive search firm Egon Zehnder has found that executives with extraordinary curiosity are usually able, with the right development, to advance to C-level roles. But that development is critical: Without it, a highly curious executive may score much lower on competence than less curious counterparts. Egon Zehnder’s Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, Andrew Roscoe, and Kentaro Aramaki describe the types of stretch assignments, job rotations, and other experiences needed to transform curiosity into competence.

The complete Spotlight package is available in a single reprint.

Most of the breakthrough discoveries and remarkable inventions throughout history, from flints for starting a fire to self-driving cars, have something in common: They are the result of curiosity. The impulse to seek new information and experiences and explore novel possibilities is a basic human attribute. New research points to three important insights about curiosity as it relates to business. First, curiosity is much more important to an enterprise’s performance than was previously thought. That’s because cultivating it at all levels helps leaders and their employees adapt to uncertain market conditions and external pressures: When our curiosity is triggered, we think more deeply and rationally about decisions and come up with more-creative solutions. In addition, curiosity allows leaders to gain more respect from their followers and inspires employees to develop more-trusting and more-collaborative relationships with colleagues.

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Four Ways to Inspire Humble Curiosity in Your Students

In a 2018 study , researchers asked elementary students about their experiences as “curious learners” at school. But many students expressed surprise. “No one is curious about what we learn in class. We just need to do whatever the teachers tell us to do,” one said.

In fact, children in this study didn’t necessarily see the link between curiosity and learning in the first place—even perceiving their own questions to be disruptive and unwelcome.

At the same time, we adults aren’t always making much room for uncertainty, openness, and exploration either—whether we’re arguing about the merits of social and emotional learning, anti-racism curricula, or the latest COVID policy at school. In a 2022 Education Week survey , teachers, principals, and district leaders claim that over half of politicians, parents, and guardians are engaging in more black-and-white thinking than they did three years ago (and under half of these educators concede that they are, too.). 

practice curiosity essay

But there is hope: Despite the limitations of our school environments, today’s students still seem to be more open-minded thinkers than we adults are. So, how do we help them maintain their openness and free up spaces for learning and understanding rather than rigid forms of thinking? Research on the character strength of curiosity—and its sister strength, humility—can help us feed authentic learning, human connection, and personal growth. 

How curiosity and humility help us learn

Research suggests that intellectual humility and curiosity go hand in hand, and it makes sense: When we’re curious , we naturally want to learn more (“Who is the new student who just joined my class?”). We seek out new information or greater understanding when we experience uncertainty or a gap in our knowledge (“How does this robot actually work?”).

And if we’re intellectually humble about that uncertainty, we can also admit that we don’t have all the answers—that our beliefs may be faulty and our understandings incomplete. In fact, researchers link intellectual humility with the desire to seek out new information and experiences (“I don’t know, but I want to find out!”).

In addition, people who are more curious, open-minded, and humble are more likely to persist through a challenge (like an ethics debate, a confounding science experiment, or a contentious group project) because they view the natural stops and starts as opportunities for growth—rather than failures or mistakes. In a recent study of 3,000 students from large cities in 11 countries, researchers found that curiosity (and persistence) most strongly predicted academic success in both math and reading for both children and teens.

Studies also suggest that intellectual humility may inspire learners to seek out challenges and make the effort to overcome them—another route to greater success at school. Humility can free us from our egos , leading to more open-minded and flexible thinking , less defensiveness , and a willingness to learn from others’ perspectives . In other words, if a child approaches a seemingly daunting math problem with both a sense of uncertainty and a desire to learn, she has nothing to lose—especially when she knows that she can explore multiple pathways to a solution with the support of her teacher and peers.

Together, curiosity and humility can stir our passion for learning while naturally opening us up to others’ perspectives, but how do we draw on curiosity and foster a sense of humility in our classrooms? Here are four evidence-based strategies for encouraging humble curiosity at school.

Practice listening with fascination

In my review of research, I discovered what I believe to be the clearest link between curiosity and humility—it’s listening. In fact, researcher Michael Lehmann and his team recently developed a listening practice that led to greater humility. Here’s the key: When study participants listened with curiosity, “as if the speaker was telling them the most interesting things that they had ever heard,” then both members of the pair experienced an increase in humility (with the listener reporting greater humility than the speaker).

Consider what it’s like to have a parent, friend, relative, or colleague offer you their full attention. What does it feel like when they appear absolutely fascinated by what you have to say? For me, it’s disarming. My body relaxes, I feel more at ease and energized—I feel more able to be “me.” If we want our students to become more comfortable with uncertainties and intellectual challenges, we need to create spaces that feel supportive, encourage psychological safety , and enhance a sense of trust.

To try out an adaptation of Lehmann’s practice, follow the steps in Good Listening: A Path Towards Greater Humility , where students discuss the characteristics of good listeners, practice curiosity and interest while discussing a relevant course topic, and then write down three things they learned from their partner after listening deeply.

More Listening Practices

If you are interested in sharing additional listening practices with your colleagues or students, consider the following: Active Listening (for adults), Mindful Listening for Students (for younger students), or Listening to Music Mindfully (for older students).

In my own work with educational professionals, I also find that carving up segments of time (typically five to 10 minutes per person) for each member of a pair (or triad) to speak without interruption or judgment can be humbling and deeply gratifying for everyone. Listeners honor the speakers’ full speaking time. Then, they respond with a “mirroring” of the speaker’s words, followed by genuine, open-ended questions. I learned this simple but powerful listening process decades ago during a retreat series hosted by the Center for Courage and Renewal .

Emphasize the value of questions

Of course, if we’re deeply curious listeners, we also tend to ask more authentic questions, and genuine questions reflect humble curiosity. Questions that invite exploration tend to start with the words “how” or “why” or “can you describe…”? They open the conversation rather than closing it down with a yes or a no—or those unfortunate leading questions like “Why weren’t you angry?” or “Didn’t you consider the other option?”

If you want to foster that sense of joyful exploration in your classroom, questions are powerful tools of your trade. 

In a recent study , children who read with a “curious” (and furry) robot teacher posing questions and wonderings scored higher on “curiosity and exploration tasks” when compared to students who learned similar information from the same “non-curious” robot. What did the robot say? Things like “I wonder what would happen if…” or “I wonder what you will do now” or “This is a great word to know. What is it?”

Bottom line, the language we use as teachers and learners can significantly influence our curiosity and attitudes about learning.

Based on their curiosity research, Jamie Jirout and his colleagues created a classroom observational tool called the Curiosity in Classrooms Framework where they highlight simple ways to elevate questions in our classrooms. Here are a few:

  • Write your learning objectives as questions (“Students will understand photosynthesis as a process” becomes “What is photosynthesis? How can we show each other that we understand how it works?”).
  • Generate more sentence stems and questions as regular journal or discussion prompts. (“When I feel successful at school, I ….” or “What does active listening look like? How do you know that someone is really listening to you?”).
  • Model using more open-ended versus closed questions as you facilitate discussions (e.g., “How did you solve #5?” rather than “What is the answer to #5?”).
  • Prompt more student questions, in general (e.g., rather than asking students if they have any more questions for you, ask them, “Who can share more questions we might ask to learn about this [character, science experiment, historical event]?”).

Draw on awe to encourage exploration

If questions can spark curiosity, “awe” can foster a sense of humility . We tend to experience awe when we encounter something larger than ourselves that challenges our sense of the world—and things like nature, music, art, and architecture typically evoke a sense of awe.

A star-filled overnight camping trip, a rock concert, or an online visit to Google Earth can inspire awe, making us feel smaller, more open to others’ perspectives, more curious, and even more generous. People who savor awe some experiences also tend to have a more balanced view of their strengths and weaknesses, and studies show that their friends tend to rate them as more humble than others.

Here are a few prompts to elicit awe—and an appreciation for wonder—in your classroom (drawn from Jirout and Sharon Zumbrunn’s classroom research).

  • Slow down to experience awe: “Take a few minutes to observe this [image, video clip, piece of art]. What do you notice? What do you feel?”
  • Prompt your students to identify a wider range of perspectives or problem-solving pathways: “Who saw or did something different?” “Can you share another way to approach this challenge?”
  • Draw on awe to encourage exploration of new ideas, materials, and ways of thinking: “This is amazing. How can you find out more?”

Normalize uncertainty

Although awe can be a beautiful experience or feeling, we certainly aren’t socialized to revel in humility—particularly in Western cultures. Admitting you don’t know means you aren’t in control. Even my handy Microsoft Word thesaurus associates the word “humble” with words like “meek,” “groveling,” and “humiliate.”

Psychologist Martin Covington reminds that a looming fear of failure directly influences our sense of self-worth, a fundamental belief in our own value . If we don’t get more comfortable with a little uncertainty, however, we will keep defaulting to intellectual boxing rings in a world overrun with unsolicited opinions.

So, how do you help kids get comfortable with uncertainty? You begin by modeling it. “I don’t know the answer to that question. Where can we find it?” “Sometimes I lose my train of thought when I’m trying to solve a problem or read a paragraph. I get confused, too, and that’s part of the process. How can we figure this out together?”

When we create a climate where students feel safe making mistakes and not knowing the answers, we make room for humility—and a desire to learn more. Then, humble curiosity can free us up to try harder and take a few more risks. If we believe we can learn more, grow, and change (at the heart of a “growth mindset”), we will be more likely to, nevertheless, persist.

practice curiosity essay

Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility

This article is part of our three-year GGSC project to raise awareness about intellectual humility research and its implications.

In a recent study , elementary-aged children who learned how to solve puzzles with a “peer” robot called “Tega” ended up agreeing more strongly with growth mindset beliefs when compared to other students. What did Tega say? Things like “I will choose [this puzzle] because it looks challenging,” “I’m not afraid of challenge. I like it,” or “You tried hard. That’s what matters.”

It’s much safer to believe you know exactly how to do something—or why others do (or say) the things they do—but it doesn’t necessarily lead to intellectual growth or better relationships. If we believe that our ideas can’t evolve and people cannot change, we fall right back into fixed and rigid thinking, which can wall us off from each other.

Curiosity, along with a healthy dose of humility, opens us up to explore, learn, and grow. And it gives others the chance to do the same.

About the Author

Headshot of Amy L. Eva

Amy L. Eva, Ph.D. , is the associate education director at the Greater Good Science Center. As an educational psychologist and teacher educator with over 25 years in classrooms, she currently writes, presents, and leads online courses focused on student and educator well-being, mindfulness, and courage. Her new book, Surviving Teacher Burnout: A Weekly Guide To Build Resilience, Deal with Emotional Exhaustion, and Stay Inspired in the Classroom, features 52 simple, low-lift strategies for enhancing educators’ social and emotional well-being.

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How to Write the Wake Forest University Essays 2024-2025

Wake Forest University has one required short essay prompt and four optional short essays for all applicants. While you aren’t required to submit the additional three essays, we strongly recommend you submit these essays to demonstrate your full interest in the school and help the admissions officers get to know you even better.

With thousands of strong applicants applying to Wake Forest each year with similar GPAs and test scores, admissions officers value what they learn in an applicant’s essay, as it helps them distinguish between students to decide who they want at their school. In this post, we’ll share tips for writing the best Wake Forest essays possible to boost your chances of admission.

Wake Forest University Supplemental Essay Prompts

All applicants, required.

Prompt 1: Why have you decided to apply to Wake Forest? Share with us anything that has made you interested in our institution. (150 words)

All Applicants, Optional

Prompt 2: Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world’s complexity. This can include a work you’ve read, a project you’ve completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved. (150 words)

Prompt 3: Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor of American Studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. Choose one of Dr. Angelou’s powerful quotes. How does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the Wake Forest community? (300 words)

Prompt 4: We welcome the opportunity to get to know you beyond the numbers. You are invited to answer any, all, or none of the following optional short-response questions.

  • Option A: List five books you’ve read that intrigued you. (Include the title, author, and if it was required or not)
  • Option B: Give us your Top Ten list. (The choice of theme is yours.)

Why have you decided to apply to Wake Forest? Share with us anything that has made you interested in our institution. (150 words)

This is a standard “Why This College?” prompt . You are only given 150 words to express why you want to attend this University, so make the most of your limited space by being as specific as possible.

You want to establish a tangible connection to Wake Forest. Examples of tangible connections might be the Theater in Education class you’re excited to take because it perfectly combines the passion for theater you developed in high school with your dream of being an English teacher. Another connection could be a beloved campus tradition you are aching to participate in, like Project Pumpkin or Lovefeast.

You could also discuss the campus culture you observed when you went for a tour, where you saw students collaborating and helping each other study on Hearn Plaza (Something like this also answers the part of the prompt asking about contact you’ve had with the school!).

Keep these tips in mind when you’re writing about tangible connections:

  • Choose reasons that are unique to Wake Forest. Every school has an Introduction to Economics class or study abroad program. However, classes like The Italian Experience in America or Psychology of Memory are far less common.
  • You will have more of an impact if you actually establish a connection. If you want to participate in the Wake ‘N Shake dance marathon, explain how you planned fundraisers for organizations in high school, and how you now want to give to the Wake Forest community.
  • Don’t name-drop! Probably the most important tip is to elaborate on the connections you make to the University. Explain why you are interested in joining this specific club, or how studying with this professor will enhance your overall college experience.
  • Quality over quantity is everything. The admissions committee will learn far more about you if you discuss two or three things that relate to your interests and experiences, rather than list ten different classes and clubs you want to join without any elaboration on any of them.

Prompt 2 (Optional)

Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world’s complexity. this can include a work you’ve read, a project you’ve completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved. (150 words).

This prompt gives you two options to choose from. On the one hand, you could write an essay about a topic that interests you—but on the other hand, you can choose something that helps you make sense of the world around you. These things aren’t mutually exclusive though; something can both pique your interest and help you cope with the complexities of life.

Despite what you choose, the important thing is to demonstrate your intellect and broader way of thinking. Whether you’re sharing something you are passionate about or something that shapes your perspective, you need to make sure the admissions officers walk away knowing that you are a thoughtful student.

Intellectual Curiosity

If you choose to write about something that piques your intellectual curiosity, the topic you pick is incredibly important.

Think about what interests you—something you could talk about for hours on end, or something you desperately want to find the answer to. Asking yourself these questions will help you come up with a topic that you can delve deeper into. You want to be sure your topic is not only exciting to you, but also that it can be connected to something more personal and intellectual.

For instance, a student who is fascinated by Latin American culture could discuss her interest in the Carnival celebrations of Brazil and how learning about these celebrations has helped her to connect with her Brazilian roots, as well as to the world history surrounding those roots.

Alternatively, a student could use this essay as an opportunity to discuss his favorite hobby. For example, a student who loves to collect coins could discuss how the sheer volume of coins produced fascinates him, how he’s gotten to meet people across the country because of his collection, and how coins have helped him develop a deeper understanding of the financial underpinnings of America.

Whatever route you decide to take in this essay, make sure you truly express the nuances of your fascination with the topic. As long as you can show how the topic sparked your desire to continue learning, whether that be about yourself or the world, you will be in good shape.

World’s Complexities

While “understanding the world’s complexity” might sound confusing, think about it in terms of any book you’ve read or academic concept you’ve researched that you think about in your daily life and use to cope when reality gets challenging.

If there’s a certain character who faced similar challenges to yourself and found a way to persevere, you might write a personal story about how that character inspires you. Or maybe you read a dystopian novel like The Hunger Games or 1984 that helped you see parallels between a fictional society and your own.

Just be careful—remember that if you choose a mainstream pop-culture text, your essay has to be very personal to show how the book affected you in a way different from anyone else. For example, anyone can say that Katniss from The Hunger Games helped you understand the importance of standing up for what is right.

Instead, you could consider talking about how the rebellion against the government in the novel made you look into injustices in your own country, and after seeing what Katniss was able to accomplish, you found the courage in yourself to reach out to local officials, or start a club in your school to demand change.

You might not approach this prompt with a book, but instead a topic or concept you’ve learned in school or independently that has stuck with you and influenced your worldview. Maybe you are fascinated by architecture so you approach global problems and societal issues the way you would a building by assessing the stability of the foundations, how well the materials mesh together, and so on.

Or, perhaps studying social psychology on your own has helped you understand the psychological factors that make social media addictive so you can detach yourself from the digital world more easily.

Prompt 3 (Optional)

Dr. maya angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former wake forest university reynolds professor of american studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person’s dignity. choose one of dr. angelou’s powerful quotes. how does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the wake forest community (300 words).

One of the benefits of this prompt is it allows you to choose any quote from Maya Angelou, giving you freedom to take your essay in any direction you want. If you aren’t familiar with Maya Angelou already, we recommend you spend some time learning about her incredible life and impact so that you’ll be able to better understand some of the context behind her quotes.

While you can find plenty of quotes online, you might also consider reading some of her books and poems to find more unique quotes ( I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a great place to start). It’s important that you choose a quote that will allow you to discuss your experiences and connect them to Wake Forest. Don’t just pick a quote that just sounds “deep”—pick what resonates with you the most.

We’ll now go through some sample quotes and the types of essays students might write in response to this prompt.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

A student who loves to write might choose this quote to describe his desire to share the stories inside of him with the world. He could start the essay by explaining his wild imagination and how he is always coming up with fantasy worlds inside his head. However, he felt like no one would want to hear his made-up stories, so he kept them to himself and never shared them. He understood the agony Angelou wrote about, the agony of feeling like his voice wouldn’t be heard.

However, when his English teacher praised his creativity in a poem he wrote for class, it gave him the confidence to start writing short stories and to share them with his teacher. When he finally started telling the stories inside of him, he felt fulfilled. He experienced an overwhelming sense of pride when other people enjoyed his stories. He can’t wait to submit short stories to the Old Gold and Black (Wake Forest’s student newspaper) and share his imagination with his peers in Short Story Workshop and Advanced Fiction Writing at Wake Forest.

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”

A student who is very bubbly and optimistic could pick this quote and describe her attitude towards negative situations. Maybe she tells a story about a close friend who lost a parent and how it broke her heart to see her friend experience so much pain. She could describe how she was there for her friend to cheer her up and take her mind off of her grief.

For this type of essay, it’s important to note that the focus is still on the student herself and on how she was affected and responded to her friend’s pain—after all, she’s the person applying to Wake Forest, not her friend.

Her experience with her friend taught her that sometimes optimism doesn’t work in every situation and occasionally, the best way to help someone is to just be a shoulder to cry on. Although deep down she will still be high-spirited, she will take what she learned with her to Wake Forest and support her friends and peers in a variety of ways depending on the context.

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.”

A student who has engaged in activism might like this quote because it allows them to discuss their approach to fighting for what they believe in. They might write about how their school was planning on cutting funding for the band, which was devastating to this student, who had found a community in band and who didn’t want younger students to be denied the opportunity to find friends through band.

While most of their friends shrugged off the news saying they couldn’t do anything, the student decided to stand up and fight back against the decision. They wrote a petition and gathered hundreds of signatures, which they then brought in front of the school board in the form of a presentation. When the school board refused to allocate money for the band, the student organized their peers to campaign against the passing of the school budget.

Although they were ultimately unsuccessful at overturning the decision, the act of fighting for what they believed in was extremely fulfilling and motivated the student to get involved with local politics, which they are planning to continue by joining the Wake Forest Student Government.

Prompt 4, Option A (Optional)

List five books you’ve read that intrigued you..

This prompt gives the admissions officers insight into your interests and perspectives through literature.

Before you just list the first five books that pop into your head, take some time to consider the importance of choosing the right books. This is an easy way for you to express your personality—simply by picking books that show you’re an experienced reader with intellectual drive, nuanced passions, and specific interests—to help you stand apart from all the other applicants. That being said, picking the books you were required to read in your AP Literature class might not accomplish everything you want.

The prompt asks you to pick books that have intrigued you. What does this mean? Well, you could pick a book you read that sparked your interest in the topic you want to major in. Perhaps you read a book about bioengineering that influenced your decision to pursue a career in that field. Or maybe you read Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s autobiography and that motivated you to become a public servant.

It’s important that you choose books that tie into your interests and aspirations—doing this demonstrates your personality, the types of people you look up to, and what kind of person you might become.

You don’t just have to pick books that are over 500 pages long and seem “impressive” for a high school student to have read. Don’t put down War and Peace if you struggled to get through the book and didn’t enjoy it. Consider including books that are meaningful to you and hold a special place in your heart. Maybe Green Eggs and Ham was the first book you ever read by yourself and it was the reason you started reading. If there is a book you used to read with your parents every night when you were little, you can also include that in your list.

When you’re compiling the list of five books, the most important thing to remember is that each book should reveal something about your personality. If you don’t feel a book is an accurate representation, try picking a different one.

Prompt 4, Option B (Optional)

Give us your top ten list. (the choice of theme is yours.).

The final prompt is where applicants get to use all their creativity, so don’t hold back! Like the first optional prompt, this one asks students to make a list. Unlike that prompt, however, Wake Forest doesn’t provide any specifications as to what the list should include.

The first few things that come to your head will probably be generic—favorite movies, bucket list destinations, favorite singers, favorite foods. However, we urge you to give this prompt some thought and come up with a really creative list that is distinctively you.

  • Instead of your favorite movies, try top 10 scenes you rewatch
  • Instead of bucket list destinations, try top 10 places to watch the sunset
  • Instead of your favorite singers, try top 10 songs about the summer
  • Instead of your favorite foods, try top 10 best kitchen utensils

You might also consider something even more personal, such as:

  • Top 10 ways that people have misspelled your name
  • Top 10 moments that you knew you were the middle child
  • Top 10 phrases you say all the time
  • Top 10 times you cried while watching a movie

While these examples are fun and more creative, the bottom line is that this question is all about you and your personality. Just be cautious and don’t pick things that require more than a few words—you’re only allotted 100 characters per response. Picking your top 10 quotes might be a cool idea, but you may not have the space for it.

At the end of the day, admissions officers are using this question to see how creative you are and what interests you, so make sure that your personality shines through, no matter what you choose to write about.

Where to Get Your Wake Forest University Essays Edited For Free

Do you want feedback on your Wake Forest essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Need feedback faster? Get a  free, nearly-instantaneous essay review  from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!

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practice curiosity essay

Definition of Curiosity, Its Causes and Importance Essay

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Importance of curiosity.

One might ask, “What is curiosity?” Curiosity is an observable feeling, usually portrayed by people and some specific animals and appears like a force that drives them into knowing, meeting, or seeing new things. It arouses their emotional behaviour. Though claims are that it killed the cat, it has been proved that, it is the force behind all scientific inventions. It has brought about the most expensive and interesting discoveries by both scientists and artists.

It is a natural trait whose signs become evident right from birth when a baby shows the desire to explore not only its mother, but also anything within its proximity. Any trait is categorised based on its impact to the individual and the entire society. Though it cannot be wholly supported by all, majority will go for it owing to its position in the global technology. Based on these expositions, I believe curiosity, is a character that needs to be grown and developed in the minds of all people who believe that they can be great.

The desire for knowledge serves as the root cause of curiosity. Straight from childhood to old age, there is always a visible yearning depicted by all people and some categories of animals. A child will crawl or cry as an expression of its want for something while old people will always be questioning themselves about nature, demanding to know why it has to deprive them of the energy to carry out various jobs. This is none but curiosity.

Another cause of curiosity is the urge to satisfy ones senses. The need to see, hear, touch, among others, has been proved to arouse ones desire, forcing him/her to satisfy them. Practically, when people get rumours about something, be it a funny place, an interesting story, or a weird animal, they desire to actualise the rumours.

If it calls for them to see, in order to be satisfied, they must see failure to which an unmet requirement is registered in the person’s mind. He/she will be experiencing some sort of a force or an inner voice telling him/her to rise up for that need. This has to do with nothing else, but curiosity.

One of the major areas curiosity serves a vital role is education. Its contribution towards the performance of students is quite significant. It has become so crucial that some colleges have opted to introduce it as subject compulsory to every student. Through it, learners have made long steps as far as inventions are concerned.

Moreover, it serves as a motivational tool by learners. For instance, if ones teacher is a professor, he/she feels motivated and wants to experience the feeling of professors. He/she opts to know the steps the fellow followed into achieving such a high level of education. In their minds, learners create imaginary figures that act as role models whom they desire to take after, given the time and opportunity. By so doing, they end up boosting education status through their curiosity.

In addition, curiosity plays a major role in nurturing patience. As the claim goes, where there is patience, there is payment. This stands out in people who desire to be, or to own something that takes time before it happens. For instance, a young boy hoping to become a pilot has to develop patience within him because, he has to wait until he gets what it takes, for one to be a pilot and this calls for a serious view of education as the only way through. Hence, curiosity is a trait, crucial in education and cannot be avoided.

Another crucial importance of curiosity is that, it engages ones mind, making him/her active rather than passive. It has been proved that where there is activity of the mind, there is God’s dwelling place. It also makes ones mind alert of new ideas and methods of doing things. This is so because whoever is curious, he/she is ever learning day by day. It opens up the mind of people making them believe in the possibility of everything they do.

It also plays a key role in boosting ones enjoyment. Those who are curious are ever enjoying the interests of what they encounter everyday. The human mind is always welcoming when it comes to new ideas or things. Therefore, the fact that curiosity makes one learn new things on a daily basis, it is clear that he/she is always joyful.

In conclusion, Curiosity can overturn the world in terms of inventions and developments. Owing to what it has done for the few who developed it before, it stands out as a character that needs to be acquired by all, who believe in living up to the top of their dreams.

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‘What does professional curiosity mean to you?’: an exploration of professional curiosity in probation

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Jake Phillips, Sam Ainslie, Andrew Fowler, Chalen Westaby, ‘What does professional curiosity mean to you?’: an exploration of professional curiosity in probation, The British Journal of Social Work , Volume 52, Issue 1, January 2022, Pages 554–572, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab019

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This article explores the concept of professional curiosity in relation to probation practice. We synthesise existing relevant literature to develop a theoretical framework of how professional curiosity is understood, arguing that professional curiosity can be used to manage risk, develop the therapeutic alliance, and facilitate knowledge building. We then present analysis of how the concept has been used in probation policy and analyse data generated in the first study of professional curiosity amongst probation workers in England and Wales. We conduct a content analysis of the meanings that probation staff ( n  = 445) attribute to the term professional curiosity by analysing responses to an open-ended question, which asked participants ‘What does professional curiosity mean to you?’. Our analysis is exploratory in nature and sheds some light on how probation workers in England and Wales understand professional curiosity. Respondents were more likely to associate the term with managing risk, although there is considerable heterogeneity between the way it is understood. We draw on existing research about probation training, culture and values to explore the reasons for these findings. We conclude by considering the limitations of the research and highlighting policy implications.

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Essay, Paragraph or Speech on “Curiosity” Complete Essay, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

Most of the world’s leaders of philosophy and thought attribute their achievement to their sense of curiosity which is defined as a deep desire to seek knowledge and to find the truth about life and matter, why and how of what goes about in the world. Curiosity is of two kinds—idle and real. The latter category is responsible for the world’s major achievements in the different fields.

Idle curiosity covers such fields as poetry and literature while real curiosity covers fields of more serious nature. In poetry and literature, the sense of curiosity expands with the purpose of arousing interest in things of beauty, entertainment and aesthetics for their own sake. The motive of such curiosity does not belong to this world but is a part of the world of imagination, having only indirect reference to the realities of life. Its basic purpose is to entertain and touch the livelier and lighter aspects of life. Music, painting, cartoons, jokes, poetry and such other things arouse idle curiosity. They have very little reality to deal with, although sometimes the best philosophy gets narrated in the language of these works of artistic creation.

Idle curiosity dominates every human being’s life with the exception of a few, who always move about with a mask so that others should consider them to be out of the ordinary. The idle curiosity, which makes us come out of cur room and leave our study when we hear an uproar in the street, holds a mirror to our anxiety about our fellow beings, though verging on sentimentalism. Apart from that, this reduces the tedium of work, breaks the spell of boredom and engenders in us new energy, and we got back to our work with a revitalized interest.

How idle curiosity develops our personality and intellect can be best known from the study of the lives of Wordsworth and Shelley. Wordsworth’s curiosity led him to love nature. Whether it was the enigmatic sound of the cataract or the rustling of the leaves, he fed his senses to satisfy and gave us wonderful nature poems. Shelley, who used to make startling experiments like an Indian magician, expressed his love for what was not traditional. And his poems are only a vocal expression of his fondness for the unusual. Feats curiosity, kindled by his first reading of Chapman’s Homer, made him a poet of unique imagination so much so that the sight of a “Grecian Urn” could inspire him to write such a wonderful ode. It was his curiosity which made him see romantic shapes in the changing clouds and write his sonnet: When I Fear I May Cease to Be.

In fact much in literature and art is curiosity translated into signing words, immortal characters and wonderfully eloquent pigments and stones. It is, however, a different thing whether their curiosity to know and understand and to unravel the mysteries of human nature was idle or otherwise.

The great achievements of mankind to their capacity to channelize his curiosity is not confined to the field of arts. Perhaps the achievements of science would have remained unknown if man had not been given to curiosity to know the world around him. Newton’s idle curiosity led him to think about the cause of apple falling down and not going upward. And the result was that he made us know about the gravitational force of the earth. But for such a curiosity Copernicus might not have written his revolutionary book, Revolution of Heavenly Bodies. Nor would have we known about the startling experiments of Galileo. Sir Francis Bacon of the 16th century England might not have paved the way for experimental science if his curiosity, which caused his death due to exposure to extreme cold, had not urged him to get at certain truths about the ways of nature.

Scientists’ curiosity is, however, an enigmatic admixture of the idle and the purposeful. Benjamin Franklin, who would fly kites on cloudy days, gave us electric conductors with which we protect multi-storeyed high buildings from being struck by lightning. Had James Watt not watched the kettle lid being lifted by steam, there would have been no steam engine. Had Marconi not studied Hertz and Maxwell with curiosity, someone else not he would have taken the credit for the invention of wireless. It was owing to Edison’s purposeful curiosity that his contributions to scientific inventions outdo these of any other single scientist. Again, man’s landing on the moon is the fruit of scientists’ insatiable curiosity.

Purposeful curiosity has much to do with all that medical science today is. It was out of curiosity to understand the inner human machinery that Vesalius first practiced dissection of corpses, William Harvey’s curiosity, which made him examine reptiles, fish, birds, snails and all living things, exploded the traditional theory about blood circulation and declared that veins carry blood to the heart and that blood entered the heart on the right side and was then flooded into the lungs, cleansed by the air in the lungs and passed over to the left side of the heart and pumped into arteries and round the body again. It was this purposeful curiosity which made Pasteur and Lister to give their contribution to medical science. Ronald Ross’ curiosity to study the cause of malaria was so intense that he exposed himself to the mosquito bites. Men of purposeful curiosity have made no less contribution to natural history. Charles Darwin, instead of studying the family profession of medicine, pursued the study of the natural science under the spell of the Reverend J.S. Hens low, the Professor of Botany at the Christ’s College, and discovered the Origin of the Species. Gregory Mendel, an Australian monk, cultivated peas to investigate the transmission from parent to off-spring of such pairs of alternate characters as round or wrinkled seeds, green or yellow seeds, and tall or short plants and concluded that the heritable characters of plants are represented by particles or factors, and propounded the Theory of Hereditary.

It was again man’s curiosity to find out whether there could be another route from Europe to India, other than the known one that landed Christopher Columbus on the shores of the New World. It was under this invincible instinct that the great explorers like Captain James Cook, David, Livingstone and Robert Falcon Scott braved hazards which no ordinary person would like to undergo even in dream. Their curiosity to “sail beyond and the sinking star” and to conquer the invincible, in fact convinces us about man’s strong will to strive and not to yield.

In day-to-day life, it is this sense of curiosity which makes people learns new things. In the field of education the teacher is supposed to arouse in the children, curiosity for knowledge. His success depends on his ability to create this sense in the child. Without curiosity, life is dull and drab, meaningless and routine. The whole of world’s fiction is designed to create curiosity among readers and to make them sensitive to human behaviour. If the world were bereft of curiosity, there would be no fiction, no fantasy but only a matter-of-fact living—emotionless and futile, indeed lifeless.

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A Personal Narrative About How Far Curiosity Can Take You in Life

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Published: Nov 20, 2018

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Works Cited

  • Einstein, A. (1955). Ideas and Opinions. New York, NY: Crown Publishers.
  • Bhanot, N., & Leos, M. (2018). Curiosity and Its Role in Learning. In J. J. Huet, S. D. Scherer, & M. K. Trundle (Eds.), Interdisciplinary Approaches to Curriculum: Themes for Teaching and Learning (pp. 55-65). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
  • Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-Determination Theory: A Macrotheory of Human Motivation, Development, and Health. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 58(2), 182-195. doi:10.1037/cap0000087
  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. New York, NY: Basic Books.
  • Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.
  • Duckworth, A. L. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. New York, NY: Scribner.
  • Kashdan, T. B., & Yuen, M. (2007). Whether Highly Curious Students Thrive Academically Depends on Perceived Autonomy Support and Classroom Engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(2), 597-610. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.99.2.597
  • Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education. New York, NY: Macmillan.

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