2006). Such misconceptions are likely to owe their origin tovocational interest research that shows the stability of existing interests (cf. Roberts & DelVecchio, 2000). Findingsfrom the large-scale group surveys of vocational interest research can be misunderstood to suggest that if interest is notpresent, it cannot develop. Such studies simply record thepresence of interest; they do not address whether, how, andwhy interests develop or how individual interest—a relatively enduring predisposition to reengage particular contents over time—can be encouraged to develop. The desire toreengage content over time to problem solve and seek answers to questions is a necessity for all students, if equal access to learning is to be achieved.In this article, we propose a four-phase model of interestdevelopment and suggest its potential for supporting educational intervention. Interest is a psychological state that, inlater phases of development, is also a predisposition toreengage content that applies to in-school and out-of-schoollearning and to young and old alike. Although we are not addressing the physiological correlates of interest in this text,they are acknowledged. The Four-Phase Model of InterestDevelopment builds on and extends empirical studies of interest and learning.1 In proposing this model, we draw on theways in which researchers have measured interest and characterize their studies as describing early or late phases in theemergence of interest.The model is described in full later in this article. Here,basic characteristics of the four-phase model are overviewed