Do you have a specific population in mind in which you want to explore interest in research (i.e., from the non-academic perspective, in school children, in (under)graduate students, etc.)?
You may have to draw on established facets of interest (similar to what is done in Kiersma et al., 2012; see reference below) to create your own definition. For example, these authors (in the area of pharmacy research) have suggested that research interested is generated through things like student exposure to research, requirements of completing research, and mentoring relationships that specifically focus on research. In the study mentioned above, the authors found participating in such a mentorship program “positively influenced [the mentees’] perceptions of research” (p. 6). These results, of course, reflect methods of increasing interest in research and not necessarily a definition of research interest in and of itself; however, we could infer that positive perceptions of research and the willingness to seek out and engage with research are probably facets of research interest.
Now, ResearchGate has developed the “research interest” metric to evaluate interest in research by measuring impact. RG takes the following into consideration: the amount of times a text has been read, the number of recommendations, and the number of citations. These might be things for you to take into consideration as well.
Kiersma, M. E., et al. (2012). A graduate student mentoring program to develop interest in research. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 76(6), 1-9.
What are the manifestations of interest in scientific research?
Scientific research is important in achieving progress and excellence at all levels, through the foundations, methods and means of its own, which help in solving the problems facing any field of life. Any society seeking to advance and achieve an intellectual and social renaissance must be interested in scientific research as an important source of knowledge. Therefore, it can be said that the development of one of the peoples of the world in all walks of life and a conclusive evidence of their interest in scientific research
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