Distinct Social Factors Are Linked to Epistemic Curiosity and Digital Information-Seeking Among Adolescents: Generalizability Across 41 Countries

Introduction: Curiosity, the intrinsic motivation to sense, know, and experience the unknown, plays important roles in adolescent achievement and well-being. Theoretical considerations and empirical research suggest the contribution of social relationships in fostering curiosity. However, curiosity is expressed in different forms and contexts. Here, we investigated the social predictors of general epistemic curiosity, and of different forms of digital information-seeking in adolescents.

Methods: Nationally representative cross-sectional data from Programme for International Student Assessment 2022 were used (N = 327,778 from 41 countries, 15.8 years, 49.6% female). Multiple regression was implemented using four different types of social relationships-teacher relationship, school belonging, bullying victimization, family relationship-as predictors of three forms of curiosity and information-seeking-general epistemic curiosity, and digital information-seeking for formal learning and for informal learning purposes.

Results and conclusion: Teacher-student relationship was linked to general epistemic curiosity but less so, or not at all, to digital information-seeking. Instead, family relationship and bullying victimization were more important drivers of digital information-seeking for formal and informal learning purposes respectively. These distinctions were largely generalizable across 41 countries examined. The findings paint a complex picture of how figures in different adolescent social spheres matter for different forms of epistemic curiosity and information-seeking, with practical and theoretical implications.