Is it as simple as the student liking or being interested in the subject? I like math, I worked hard, paid attention and learned as much as I could. I wasn't

Is it as simple as the student liking or being interested in the subject? I like math, I worked hard, paid attention and learned as much as I could. I wasn't nearly as interested in what was taught in my English classes, so I did everything at the last minute, and did just enough to get the grade I wanted. I think past 10th grade or so, the value of forcing a wide liberal arts education on people declines significantly.