Increase Student Engagement Research Articles

Increasing Student Engagement with Instructor Feedback using Criteria-Based Rubrics as a tool for Self-Assessment

Abstract: Students need to actively engage with instructor feedback to improve their work, but many struggle incorporating feedback to improve their skills. This paper describes a strategy for using criteria-based rubrics as self-assessment tools to increase student engagement with instructor feedback. Initially, the instructor creates a criteria-based rubric aligned with the objectives of an assignment. Students then use this rubric to self-assess their work. This is followed by the instructor evaluating the student self-assessment to provide feedback. The student then has an opportunity to apply this feedback to their work prior to submission, as well as reflect on the quality of their work. Additional application of this strategy to the process of peer-review is also discussed.

Investigating the Impact of Online Learning Clubs on Student Motivation and Self-Efficacy in Science: An Experimental Study

Introduction. Russian studentsʼ natural science literacy lags behind that of their counterparts in other countries, largely due to a lack of interest in the subject area and low self-confidence. Digital technologies offer new opportunities for basic and additional education that can help address these challenges and increase student engagement in the natural sciences. However, not all digital learning formats have been thoroughly examined in terms of their impact on studentsʼ engagement and learning outcomes. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of additional online science clubs in enhancing motivation and self-efficacy among schoolchildren in this subject area. Materials and Methods. To investigate the issue, we conducted an experiment involving 1 023 students in grades 7–9 from the Khangalassky ulus of the Republic of Sakha. The experimental group consisted of students randomly selected to participate in online science club on the GlobalLab platform, while the control group continued with regular studies. Using structural equation modelling and instrumental variable methods, we have analyzed data on changes in the level of motivation and self-efficacy of both groups, while also controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and overall curiosity levels of the students. Results. The findings indicate that online clubs have the potential to increase motivation and self-efficacy in natural science subjects, but their widespread use requires further investigation. The comparison of results between the control and experimental groups revealed a slight improvement in both general and subject motivation, as well as subject self-efficacy for students in the experimental group. The instrumental variable approach proved a more significant impact of online club participation on motivation and self-efficacy but only in the specific subject in which the child was engaged. At the same time, the study revealed a rather low interest among students to participate in online science club as extracurricular activity. Discussion and Conclusion. The findings of the study support the notion that online clubs are effective in enhancing studentsʼ motivation and self-efficacy in natural sciences. However, the research also identified certain limitations in the use of additional education outside of school. For instance, students may lack a clear understanding of their participation goals, which can affect their interest in engaging in such activities. Thus, the results of the study provide a basis for evaluating the potential of online formats in additional education and for making recommendations for their optimal use.

Learning environments in software testing education: An overview

AbstractNowadays, we heavily depend on software, as we utilize it daily. Bugs in the software can cause significant damage, loss of private data and money, and even loss of human lives. Software testing and quality assurance discipline, which belongs to the software engineering domain, aims to ensure that the software is good enough before its release to the market. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that software engineers are highly trained in this domain. Unfortunately, this discipline is frequently neglected throughout software engineering courses. Students are mostly taught just the theoretical principles of software testing and gain little practical experience. Additionally, the software testing lectures are considered to be dull, especially if they are not followed by practical tasks where the students could apply learned techniques and gain hands‐on experience. Several tools, games, and collaborative learning environments have been proposed to make the lectures more interesting and increase student engagement. The main goal of this article is to provide a systematic survey of such environments, where each environment was evaluated in terms of major software testing topics covered and the approach used to engage the students.

Planting the Seeds of Culturally Responsive, Equity-Centered, and Trauma-Informed Attitudes Among Urban Educators

This qualitative study explored the influence of implementing a virtual culturally responsive and equity-centered trauma-informed professional development series with seven urban educators in the U.S. The study's findings suggest that a culturally responsive, equity-centered trauma-informed professional development series can enrich educators’ knowledge and awareness regarding racial trauma. Furthermore, the series has the potential to improve interpersonal interactions between teachers and students and increase student engagement. Lastly, the professional development series can help prepare educators to become confident and assertive social change agents advocating for racial equity in schools. Implications are provided for practice, research, and policy.

An exploration of institutional and personal barriers to online academic engagement at a Brazilian university

The recent global pandemic has raised institutional awareness around the world concerning the importance of having high quality online learning options for students. Learner engagement is often correlated with quality outcomes such as student academic success and student satisfaction. Learner engagement is commonly thought of as having three important dimensions: affective engagement, behavioral engagement, and cognitive engagement (ACE framework). Engagement is also enabled or limited by facilitators/barriers. Three important categories of facilitators/barriers are learner characteristics, personal environment, and course environment. Elements in each of these three areas enable or are barriers to students fully engaging in a course. This research explored what the barriers are to students fully engaging in their online courses at a Brazilian university to determine which areas will be most productive for the university program administrators and designers to focus on increase student academic engagement. A survey was applied to students from the Brazilian university under graduation online programs. It included items related to engagement facilitators barriers in the three areas described in the ACE framework and received 429 valid responses. The affective and behavioral dimensions were perceived by students as the lower engagement indicators in the ACE framework. Among facilitators or barriers for engagement, the ones under the course environment category were predominantly perceived as barriers, while learner characteristics and student environment were perceived as facilitators. However, all three categories were more barrier than facilitator for over 40% of the students. Although course environment is the barrier most under control of the institutions, understanding students´ personal environment and characteristics of learning can help them to provide support and facilitate full engagement in online courses.

Assisting Struggling Early ESL Readers. What Can English Teachers Do?: A Review Paper

The teaching and learning of reading to struggling readers have become a distinguished area to be researched recently. Past studies discovered the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process involving early struggling readers in foreign countries. However, in Malaysia, the study of intervention in the teaching of reading to ESL readers is scarce. Hence, this paper reviews interventions and the findings of the effectiveness of the interventions in teaching reading to struggling ESL readers to provide the framework for Malaysian researchers and English educators dealing with struggling early ESL readers. This paper addresses issues that will help the struggling reader succeed. Several themes have emerged from research on identifying teaching strategies that support struggling readers in the classroom. Increased student engagement occurs when pairwork, reading with a reading specialist and playing reading games took place during the reading interventions to assist struggling readers. Moreover, explicit instruction in phonological awareness and ample opportunities to practise reading, both at home and at school, improve reading skills.

Implementing a Collaborative Learning Management Model to Increase Student Engagement in the Classroom

Implementing a Collaborative Learning Management Model to Increase Student Engagement in the Classroom

Active learning and effective teaching strategies

This paper aims to present active learning as an approach to education that emphasizes student engagement and participation. This approach contrasts with traditional lecture-based teaching, where students are passive recipients of information. This paper will discuss the benefits of active learning and the effective strategies for its implementation. It will present some of the benefits of the active learning for students such as the increased student engagement and motivation that can lead to better retention of material and improved academic performance, and the promotion of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, through activities such as group work and problem-solving encouraging students to think critically and apply their knowledge to real-world situations. The paper will also highlight several effective ways for teachers to develop knowledge in active learning through attendance of workshops and training sessions, active collaboration with colleagues, engagement in self-study, experimenting with active learning. The paper also will discuss strengths and weaknesses of this approach and give some practical examples of teaching strategies for active involvement of students and give some basic rules of the approach. The paper will conclude that active learning is an approach to teaching and learning that promotes student engagement and participation in the learning process. It includes a variety of strategies, such as discussion, writing, and cooperative learning, which can be used to actively engage students in the classroom. Active learning can improve learning outcomes, promote critical thinking skills, and increase student motivation and interest in the subject.

Applications of Augmented Reality to Provide Quality Education: A Survey

Abstract: Traditional methods of learning such as reading books and copying texts is becoming a thing of the past. Everything is becoming increasingly digitized and is being driven by technology innovations. Bringing new learning formats based on technology in the classrooms can lead to increased student engagement which in turn will make the knowledge and skills stay longer. Thus, adapting technological solutions to education is very important. Augmented Reality (AR) is an enhanced version of the real world which is achieved using digital visual elements, audio and other sensory stimuli. This is a growing technology. Since it provides many powerful visualizations, AR can be used as a powerful learning tool. This paper will provide an overview of AR and the hardware required for AR application and some of the AR techniques required to successfully overlay virtual contents over the real-world objects. Further, it explains the importance of AR in education and evaluate the impact of AR in education through various works

Balancing the Equation: Using Socratic Dialogue to Increase Student Engagement and Achievement in a Middle School Mathematics Classroom

Balancing the Equation: Using Socratic Dialogue to Increase Student Engagement and Achievement in a Middle School Mathematics Classroom

How a token-based game may elicit the reward prediction error and increase engagement of students in elementary school. A pilot study.

Student engagement is essential to academic success and student-wellbeing. In the past, fostering engagement though extrinsic rewards has often been found to be of limited effectiveness over the long term. However, extrinsic rewards are important for improving engagement with non-intrinsically rewarding activities. Thus, in the present study a mechanism that is meant to prolong the effects of extrinsic rewards was investigated: the reward prediction error. This error occurs when rewards are awarded contrary to the awardee's expectations. In a quasi-experiment, 39 elementary school students participated in a classroom-based game, which was supposed to motivate them to solve math exercises. It combined reinforcement with elements of luck, which were supposed to elicit the reward prediction error. After 2 weeks, the intervention group had completed significantly more math exercises compared to a pretest and, importantly, also more correctly solved exercises than a control group. This suggests that game-based reinforcement that elicits the reward prediction error might help to increase student engagement over the medium term. It furthermore highlights the importance of applying gamification elements not only digitally but also in analog settings.

Application of Exploration of Geometry Shapes with Various Media to Improve Learning Outcomes Masjid Raya Islamic Kindergarten students

The goal to be achieved in this research is to improve the learning outcomes of Islamic Kindergarten students at the Grand Mosque by exploring geometric shapes. The research will be conducted in two cycles in August 2021 and September 2021. The research tool uses Learning Outcomes tables and Observation tables. The learning achievement table is used to record quantitative data on student learning outcomes before and after the cycle. Observation sheets are used to record qualitative data in the form of observations of student participation in learning activities before and after the cycle. Data analysis used descriptive analysis techniques. Quantitative data in the Learning Outcomes table is processed using percentage analysis. Qualitative data from the observation table, categorized according to the aspects that are used as the focus of analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data are then linked as a basis for describing the successful application of various learning media which is marked by an increase in learning outcomes of geometric shapes and in line with changes in engagement (student behavior in the classroom). Quantitative data collection standard performance indicators show that students in the above categories are getting more and more geometric shape learning outcomes, indicating an increase in learning quality standards. Performance indicators from qualitative data determined that increased student engagement and positive attitudes, both qualitatively and quantitatively, were indicators of increased active learning from cycle to cycle. The results showed that student learning outcomes increased from cycle to cycle. The standard of student engagement increases each cycle along with the increase in student learning outcomes. This was marked by an increase in the percentage of student learning outcomes that obtained criteria scores 4 and 5. After the first cycle it rose very sharply, students who scored 4 and 5 reached 2.6 % ( 9 children) and 24 % ( 8 children) at the time before cycle. A score of 5 was 7 people ( 21 %), who got a score of 4 were 9 students (2 6 %) and who got a score of 3 were 18 students (53 %) in cycle I and increased to as many as 25 students got a score of 5 ( 74 %) ) and as many as 9 students get a score of 4 (2 6 %) in cycle II

Syllabus Treasure Hunt: A Strategy to Increase Student Engagement on the First Day of Class.

By Jennifer Jackson, PhD, RN, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, [email protected]. The author declares no conflicts of interest. Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citation appears in the printed text and is provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's website (www.nurseeducatoronline.com).

Students’ Experiences with Formative Assessment in Institutions of Higher Education: The Case of a University in Uganda

The shift in emphasis from teacher to learner-centred pedagogies worldwide has foregrounded formative assessment as a pedagogical tool that increases student engagement. The purpose of the current study was to explore students’ perceptions and perspectives regarding the way formative assessment is implemented in order to guide teaching and assessment in institutions of higher education. The study was guided by Lev Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism which regards learning as a social activity. Purposive sampling was used to select 15 second-year pre-service teachers from one public university in Uganda. Focus group discussions were used to collect in-depth data on students’ views and experiences with formative assessment practices. The themes and sub-themes generated in the study indicated that students perceived formative assessment as continuous assessment whose purpose is to test understanding by grading. In addition, their understanding of formative assessment was consistent with the methods of assessment used. The study also revealed that traditional methods of assessment were dominant in higher education, yet most students preferred alternative methods that were more beneficial because they provided immediate feedback and increased their participation compared to tests and written assignments. Many students reported challenges with getting feedback, which was attributed to large class size, emphasis on the grading purpose and university policies. The insights will inform institutions of higher education about the benefits of using learner-oriented assessment strategies that provide opportunities for students’ engagement in learning and assessment. In addition, the study may guide policymakers to institute policies that promote a balanced assessment and revise the assessment guidelines to align them with the principles and practices of formative assessment

Integrating ease of use and affordable gamification-based instruction into a remote learning environment

Increasing student engagement and improving learning outcomes are ongoing issues in higher education worldwide. These issues were particularly pertinent during the COVID-19 pandemic when remote learning was selected as the primary instructional learning setting. This study aims to assess the impact of gamification-based quiz instruction in driving college students’ learning in an online class during the COVID-19 pandemic at a remote institution of higher education in Indonesia (n = 68). The study employs an explanatory sequential mixed-method approach, including quasi-experimental research, quantitative surveys, and qualitative interviews. The findings indicate that the overall result of the four tests conducted during the intervention indicates a statistically significant difference among the three groups. The gamification-based quizzes increase student enthusiasm and improve learning outcomes. The study demonstrates the transformation induced by the ease of use and low cost of digital gaming platforms from mundane activities, such as listening to lectures on Zoom, to enjoyable educational gaming activities. The weekly gamification-based formative assessments using easy-to-use media significantly increase student engagement, critical and creative thinking, and information literacy during the learning process.

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Reading and Music: A Natural Pedagogical Collaboration

Reading and music instruction can form a symbiotic relationship to positively impact lower-elementary literacy and increase student engagement. In this action research study, cross-curricular instruction between reading and music at the 2nd grade elementary level was taught by both the reading and music teacher. This study employed reading, rhythm, rhyme, instrumentation, writing, physical movement, and song to benefit students’ phonemic awareness while reading. Developmental Reading Assessments (DRAs) were used to measure student growth from the start of the study to its conclusion. These DRAs were used as pre- and posttests and were bookended around instruction using reading, rhythm, rhyme, instrumentation, writing, physical movement, and song in the regular and music classrooms. This type of cross-curricular instruction between reading and music reinforced learning in both classroom settings. Results revealed that co-planning reading and music instruction have a positive impact on fluency, comprehension, and student engagement, but that DRAs are not the most accurate tools to measure phonemic awareness.

Developing Project-Based-Learning (PBL) Speaking Syllabus for Flight Attendant School in Flipped Learning Network (FLN) Activities

This article defines the process for developing a speaking syllabus for flight attendant school in a Flipped Learning Network (FLN), which increases student engagement and learning by assigning watching videos at home followed up in pre-teaching discussions, and requiring the students to work on live practices in face-to-face classroom activities. Considering that the syllabus is designed to develop the students' oral competence, the target speaking skill is aimed toward developing students' ability to engage in procedural communication in the workplace. Therefore, the topics/themes are chosen to meet the needs of flight attendants consistent with Project-Based Learning (PBL) by Forum Group Discussions (FGDs). In order to achieve this objective, the development of a syllabus begins with a need analysis, topic selection, syllabus prototype production, expert evaluation, and revision for the final product. The syllabus is organized such that the learning experience is explicitly stated for two formats: online meeting (through Google Classroom for the video analysis) as the lecture homework for pre-discussions followed by classroom face-to-face meeting (through FGDs with peers, individual work, and the teacher) to comprehend students' understanding though some units. Each unit has 2 (two) topics. Each topic consists of 60 (sixteen) minutes or 1 (one) meeting. This syllabus development is considered to be implemented in terms of FLN for instructional activities in flight attendant school resulting higher-order thinking skills such as collaboration, design and problem solving as students tackle difficult problems, work in groups, research, and construct knowledge with the help of the teacher and peers.

Community-engaged learning to broaden the impact of applied ecology: A case study.

Ecological changes are creating disruptions that often disproportionately impact communities of color and economically disadvantaged areas. Scientists who study the consequences experienced by these communities are uniquely suited to bring the public into their work as a way of setting conditions that enable impacted residents to empower themselves to advance environmental and community change. In addition to involving community stakeholders in the process of science, community science can be used to motivate learning and increase engagement of students. Here we highlight a case study of one way a historically Black college involved local communities and students in water quality monitoring efforts to examine the role of the environment in human health. Students in an introductory-level environmental toxicology course collaborated with community members to track pollution and monitor conditions in an urban, impaired stream. Students participated in bi-monthly water quality monitoring alongside community watershed researchers and an annual day-long multisite sampling event with community residents and organizations. Through this engagement, students and community members contributed to the collection of data, learned about the significance of their results, and translated findings into strategies to advance watershed restoration, health, quality of life, and environmental justice goals.

Gamified Mobile Apps’ Impact on Academic Performance of Grade 8 in a Mainstream Physics Class

Aim/Purpose: This research project aims to create a gamified instructional material tailored for Grade 8 students that includes a partially deaf student attending mainstream Science classes. The developed gamified mobile application underwent expert review and was used as an intervention tool to enhance academic performance in Physics among these students. Background: In the Philippines, there is a lack of accessible Science Instructional Materials for students with special educational needs, making inclusive education challenging. To address this, teachers need to enhance resources for inclusivity without compromising learning enjoyment. Gamification, a technique that increases student engagement, is critical. However, only some resources combine gamification and inclusion, highlighting the need for Science teachers to develop such materials. Methodology: Using a quantitative descriptive approach, the researchers assessed students’ competencies in Physics 8, identifying strengths and weaknesses. This data guided the creation of targeted interventions. A systematic literature search helped identify game design components from prior research, aiding the development of the Science-Inclusive Gamified Mobile Application (SIGMA). This application integrated various features, leading to a significant improvement in students’ academic performance. Pre-test and post-test analyses showed substantial progress. Contribution: The gamified mobile application positively affected eighth-grade students, including one with hearing impairment, enhancing their educational experience and interest in challenging topics. The research underscores the importance of teachers adopting gamified technologies to foster proactive knowledge acquisition. Findings: The Grade 8 pupils, with one partially deaf student, responded positively to the gamified mobile application, which made the educational experience more enjoyable and increased students’ interest in topics that are often least comprehended. Design elements like leaderboards and feedback were integrated into the Science Gamified Mobile App (SIGMA). Usage resulted in significant academic improvement, supported by pre-test/post-test scores (pre: mean 10.15, post: mean 26.73). The study highlights gamification’s impact on performance with substantial empirical evidence. Recommendations for Practitioners: Teachers in various disciplines should keep adopting and utilizing gamified technologies that encourage and aid their students’ imaginative and proactive knowledge acquisition. Recommendation for Researchers: These research results provide important insight into the impact of gamification on students’ academic performance. However, substantial challenges must be addressed to analyze and interpret these results. Integrating gamification in settings with more participants and longitudinal studies that examine the influence over time would be intriguing because it would allow for an in-depth investigation into the results acquired. Impact on Society: The investigation results suggest that the mobile application with gamification elements had an essential effect on the academic achievement of eighth-grade students, including a student with a partial hearing impairment. The results of the present investigation may contribute significantly to the field of education by offering guidance to teachers who aim to integrate gamification into their Science course material within a classroom environment that promotes inclusivity. The research has identified crucial design elements for developing a practical gamified mobile application. Future Research: It would be intriguing to duplicate the kind of intervention carried out in this study in longitudinal research since it would allow us to know the impacts of gamification over a prolonged time. It is also vital to understand, through studies that are either more experimental or quasi-experimental, the effects of gamified mobile applications on students with various hearing impairments. It is also recommended to conduct a subsequent research phase utilizing the gamified mobile application with participants from other demographic groups.

Optimization Logic and Paradigm Construction of Digital Transformation of Technical Skill Training Model under the Perspective of Social Media Communication and Intelligent Natural Language Integration

Research has shown that social media can help students learn. Through a variety of different social platforms, teachers can work with students to integrate social media into their daily instruction to make lessons more interesting and engaging and increase student engagement. With the rise of Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, New generation communication technology, Brain interface and other intelligent technologies, especially the application of shared media communication and intelligent natural language system, human society has undergone profound changes in production and lifestyle. The digital economy will lead to systematic changes in the concept, mode and governance system of talent training, and the numerical transformation of education training mode, especially the training of technical skills, is imperative. Although some studies try to discuss the construction of intelligent ecology of vocational education, there is a lack of verified scientific theories and practical experience on the implementation path of digital transformation of vocational education. To address this theme, this paper follows the main line of the path of development background, realistic dilemma, hierarchical features, logical framework and paradigm construction of digital transformation of vocational education, and systematically elaborates the great differences between traditional economy and digital economy as the supply base of vocational education development on the basis of full research on the development of digital industry, digital technology and digital education at home and abroad, clarifies the development features including operation mode, strategic direction and value It also focuses on the logical framework of vocational education with industrial chain as the core, innovation chain as the leader, talent chain as the support and education chain as the foundation, analyzes the importance of social communication and natural language intelligent changes in the process of technical skills talents, and explores the practical path of building a vocational education talent training model that is compatible with the intelligent era.