ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses, critiques and problematises various perspectives on the concept of boredom and its implications in both educational and non-educational contexts. It begins by exploring current educational research into boredom, which still tends to restrict interpretations purely to the attributes of individual students rather than considering the notion that boredom as an affective experience might be more broadly re-imagined as emerging from an assemblage of sociomaterial practices. The chapter provides a critical examination of Direct Instruction and related pedagogical approaches, highlighting concerns about engagement and student experience and exploring the potential role of technology and gaming in education in addressing these concerns. Current gaming research is reviewed and analysed to reveal how commercial games provide positive affective experiences and prevent boredom. The chapter concludes by advocating for a relational and sociomaterial approach to boredom, using Actor–Network Theory and assemblage theory. It argues that digital gaming, with its more dynamic practices, might provide a lens through which to compare how affective intensities such as boredom are produced and suggest new ways to intervene to prevent boredom in formal learning.
