Nature Of Student Engagement Research Articles

Enhancing academic performance and student engagement in health education: insights from Work Station Learning Activities (WSLA)

Making health science students aware of the importance of basic science knowledge for professional practice is a major educational challenge, especially during the early years of preclinical courses. Here, using an integrated curricular approach, we analyze whether Work Station Learning Activities (WSLA), which combine active learning methodologies for teaching basic science in clinical scenarios, can help to develop deeper learning and student engagement. In order to increase student motivation, we evaluated the effectiveness of WSLA using statistical analyses and an observation tool based on the ICAP (Interactive, Constructive, Active, and Passive) framework, which categorizes learning tasks based on the nature of student engagement. Statistical analyses revealed positive correlations between the different summative evaluations along the development of the activities, indicating the learning process inherent to WSLA progression and affirming the positive influence of WSLA on academic outcomes. Comparing the pre- and post-tests, students scored significantly higher on the post-test (statistically significant p < 0.001). WSLA promotes both constructivist and interactive learning, as validated by its alignment with the ICAP model. The study examines student engagement through systematic observation, revealing a relationship between student engagement and final grades. Students who exhibit constructive learning consistently earn higher grades, emphasizing the positive impact of active engagement. Thus, passive behavior profiles show a significant proportion of fails (40%), while constructive profiles stand out as the sole recipients of the coveted excellent rating. Ultimately, this study contributes to our understanding of the effectiveness of WSLA in promoting active learning and enhancing student engagement within integrated health education curricula. It highlights the importance of active learning behaviors for academic success and suggests avenues for further research to optimize integrated teaching methodologies in medical education.

Investigating teacher influence on student engagement in high schools

Student engagement is a pivotal contributor to academic achievement, retention, and well-being, and yet the role of teacher influence on engagement is poorly understood. This is in part due to the contextual and ‘hidden’ nature of student engagement, and as such, levels of student engagement are assumed through observable factors such as attendance and conduct. It is also due to the difficulty in mapping student engagement simultaneously with understanding the teacher practices used to influence it. This article reports on a pre-post case study in which student survey and teacher focus group data were analysed together, revealing the nature and depth of association between the practices adopted by teachers and student engagement. By comparing the change of engagement at a class or homegroup level, it was possible to identify how approaches used by teachers impacted various elements of engagement. Furthermore, it found a high correlation between teacher practices and change in student engagement at a class or homegroup level, providing the opportunity for teachers to learn what practices were effective in their specific context.

“I Do Better, Feel Less Stress and Am Happier” – A Humanist and Affective Perspective on Student Engagement in an Online Class

Aim/Purpose; Fostering student engagement is one of the great challenges of teaching, especially in online learning environments. An educators’ assumptions and beliefs about what student engagement is and how it manifests will shape the strategies they design to engage students in learning. However, there is no agreement on the definition of concept of student engagement and it re-mains a vague construct. Background: Adopting the principles of user-centered design, the author maintains that to design learning experiences which better support student engagement it is important to gain insights into how students perceive and operationalize the concept of engagement in learning. The recent challenges of teaching effectively online prompted the author to reflect more deeply on the concept of engagement and how it might be achieved. Methodology: In the tradition of reflective teaching, the author undertook an informal, qualitative inquiry in her classroom, administering a brief questionnaire to students in her online class. When the themes which emerged were integrated with other literature and findings from the author’s earlier classroom inquiry, some insights were gained into how students ‘operationalize’ the concept of engagement, and weight was added to the authors’ premise of the value of humanistic approaches to university teaching, the need for greater emphasis on student-teacher connection and the necessity of considering the affective domain alongside the cognitive domain in learning in higher education. The insights were brought together and visualized in a conceptual model of student engagement. Contribution: The conceptual model presented in the present paper reflects the author’s present ‘mental model’ of student engagement in classes online and, when the opportunity arrives, in face-to-face classes as well. This mental model shapes the authors’ course design, learning activities and the delivery of the course. Although the elements of the model are not ‘new’, the model synthesizes several related concepts necessary to a humanist approach to under-standing student engagement. It is hoped that the model and discussion presented will be stimulus for further rich discussion around the nature of student engagement. Findings: Interestingly, the affective rather than the cognitive domain framed students’ perspectives on what engagement ‘looks like to them’ and on what teachers should do to engage them. Recommendations for Practitioners: By sharing the process through which the author arrived at this understanding of student engagement, the author has also sought to highlight three key points: the importance of including the ‘student perspectives and expectations’ against which educators can examine their own assumptions as part of the process reflective teaching practices; the usefulness of integrating theoretical and philosophical frameworks in our understandings of student engagement and how it might be nurtured, and finally the necessity of affording greater influence to humanism and the affective domain in higher education. The findings emphasize the necessity of considering the affective dimension of engagement as an essential condition for cognitive engagement and as inextricable from the cognitive dimension of engagement. Recommendations for Researchers: The emphasis in research engagement learning and teaching is on how we (the educators) can do this better, how we can better engage students. While the student perspective is often formulated from data obtained through surveys and focus groups, researchers in learning engagement are working with their own understandings (albeit supported by empirical research). It is crucial for deeper insight to also understand the students’ conceptualization of the phenomena being researched. Bringing the principles of design thinking to bear on educational research will likely provide greater depth of insight. Impact on Society: Empirical, formal, and structured research is undeniably essential to advancing human endeavor in any field, including learning and teaching. It is however important to recognize informal research in the form of classroom inquiry as part of teachers’ reflexive practice is also legitimate and useful to advancing understanding of complex phenomenon such as student engagement in learning through multiple perspectives and experiences. Future Research: Further research on the nature of student engagement in different contexts and against different theoretical frameworks is warranted as is empirical investigation of the premise of the value of humanism and the affective do-main in defining and measuring student engagement in higher education.

Examining an Acid–Base Laboratory Practical Assessment from the Perspective of Evidence-Centered Design

This paper uses evidence-centered assessment design (ECD) to structure and analyze a laboratory activity where students collect and represent titration curve data to determine acid strength in terms of molarity and dissociation constant. Following principles of multidimensional learning, the activity prompts students to demonstrate knowledge of chemistry concepts related to acid–base titrations, the science and engineering practice of using mathematics, and the cross-cutting concept of patterns. The work involved writing two multidimensional learning performances, themselves elaborated into five distinct evidence statements. In the process of coding, we further differentiated the five evidence statements into 13 components, each aligned with at least one place in the task where students could provide evidence of that component to produce results that describe how frequently the students meet the evidence statements. We describe how the evidence statements and their components give insight into whether the students are demonstrating knowledge, skills, and thinking patterns. The data consisted of laboratory reports and postlab questions of 45 students in a general chemistry course at a large public urban university. We examine the data to address the research questions “How does a process of evidence-centered assessment design with associated learning performances provide a structure for research on how students can demonstrate multidimensional learning about chemistry content knowledge?” and “How does an assessment using evidence-centered design and multidimensional learning provide insight about teaching and assessment of learning about the use of titration curve laboratory data in acid–base chemistry?” The results provide insight into the challenges and opportunities associated with having a rich, deep examination of student multidimensional learning across a two-week laboratory assessment, including the way that grading rubrics can impact whether students fully engage with all aspects of the task. Patterns observed within the student work supported conclusions about the nature of student engagement in disciplinary concepts, the practice of using mathematics, and the use of patterns on acid–base titration tasks. We also develop ways to characterize particular components for whether the component can provide single-dimensional evidence, basic multidimensional evidence by requiring use of a concept or practice as a tool, linked multidimensional evidence because a concept or practice is needed to make sense of the phenomenon in a new way, or integrated multidimensional evidence of the different dimensions working together for sense-making.

Catering for ‘very different kids’: distance education teachers’ understandings of and strategies for student engagement

ABSTRACT Compulsory distance education has always sought to be inclusive, providing educational opportunities for K-12 students unable to attend mainstream, face-to-face schools for medical, geographical, or personal reasons. However, how to effectively engage these diverse learners has remained a perpetual challenge, with a need for further investigation into the nature of student engagement with compulsory school distance contexts and how teachers can best support it. This qualitative study used focus groups (n = 2 groups, n = 16 participants) to examine teacher definitions and student engagement strategies within eKindy-12 distance education in Queensland, Australia. Categorical analysis was conducted using a priori codes for definitions, focusing on four previously established engagement types (i.e. behavioural, emotional, cognitive, and agentic engagement), and in vivo codes for strategies. Teacher definitions focused strongly on behavioural engagement, but most also contained elements of emotional and cognitive engagement; agentic engagement was only occasionally evidenced via practice descriptions. Teachers described engaging students by: building relationships, creating a safe classroom environment through differentiation, using inclusive technological tools to facilitate interaction and monitor progress, making learning fun and relevant, drawing on school-wide pedagogical frameworks and teaching strategies, and encourage self-regulation. Findings suggest distance education teachers face unique challenges around evidencing engagement and supporting student agency.

Graduate Student Writers

Genre analysis has become an important tool for teaching writing across the disciplines to non-native English-speaking (EL2) and native English-speaking (EL1) graduate students alike. Since the pressing needs of EL2 graduate students have meant that educators often teach them in separate classes, and since genre-based research into teaching higher-level writing has been largely generated in fields such as English for Academic Purposes, we have an insufficient understanding of whether this instructional mode plays out similarly in EL1 and EL2 classrooms. Launching a genre-based course on writing research articles in parallel sections for EL1 and EL2 graduate students provided an opportunity to address this knowledge shortfall. This article qualitatively examines the different classroom behaviors observed in each version of the course when a common curriculum was used and specifically explores three key themes: initial receptivity, nature of student engagement, and overall assessment. Our study shows that although EL2 and EL1 learners have similar needs, the obstacles to their benefitting from genre-based instruction are different; EL2 students must learn to identify themselves as needing writing support that transcends linguistic matters, while EL1 students must learn to identify themselves as needing writing support despite their linguistic competence. Providing the same mode of instruction can benefit both populations as long as educators are sensitive to the specific challenges each population presents in the classroom. The insights gained contribute to the scholarship on genre-based teaching and offer ways of better meeting the needs of EL1 and EL2 students alike.

Understanding Student Engagement and Achievement in Chinese Universities: A Study of Beijing College Students

China’s higher education system has experienced a profound process of restructuring and transformation from elite to mass higher education in the past decades. College students are struggling with an increasingly disconnected learning experience which is caused by a more competitive learning environment. Under these new circumstances, what is the nature of student engagement in China’s colleges and universities? How do different forms of student engagement affect undergraduates’ success in college? This empirical study examined self-reported data of 18,607 students from 55 Chinese colleges in Beijing through structural equation modeling. The main findings are: student learning experience in college is integrated; different forms of student engagement have a complex mechanism of impacting on each other and consequently directly and indirectly contribute to student gains in college. Findings indicate that institutions in China and other Asian countries need to capture a comprehensive picture of how students change through assessing student overall college experience from a variety of perspectives.

Examining Student Engagement and Authority: Developing Learning Relationships in the Middle Grades

Fostering for middle grades students is a significant challenge for teachers everywhere, and in some jurisdictions, it has even become a government priority. For example, in Manitoba, a province in western Canada, all seventh grade students must be assessed annually for their level of engagement in learning. Students' ability to interact with others, to self-reflect, and to submit assignments on time have now become indicators of student engagement (Manitoba Education, Citizenship & Youth, 2007). one might expect, this policy has raised broader questions about what we actually mean when we talk about engagement and whether or not these criteria are, in fact, valid indicators of when are engaged. Certainly young adolescents who listen, ask questions, and dutifully complete assignments seem to be conscientiously assuming their responsibilities as students, but does that necessarily mean that they are as learners? Further, although a significant body of middle grades research highlights the importance of self-reflection and the active involvement of students in their (Brodhagen & Gorud, 2005; Jackson & Davis, 2000), should the discussion surrounding the notion of engaged learning be reduced to a set of ideal behaviors and student performances? With these questions in mind, some members of the Manitoba Middle Years Association purposefully worked to move the organization toward becoming a community of learners (Lave & Wenger, 1991) in collaborative inquiry about the nature of student engagement and the pivotal role played by middle grades teachers. Based on the group's discussions and ongoing observations in schools, it soon became evident that the dialogue on student engagement needed to extend well beyond the assessment of student behavior to an exploration of the various ways in which teachers and students interact. This led group members to the literature on authority, particularly the work of Roberts and Clifton (1995), and the role that authority assumes in developing strong relationships between teachers and students. In this article, we summarize what we learned about student engagement and discuss how teachers can influence engagement by exercising authority in the classroom. Furthermore, we argue that it is the unique blend of an individual teacher's social and pedagogical authority in daily teaching that fosters engagement by encouraging students to through challenging yet meaningful experiences. Fostering engagement: The importance of authority Vignette 1: Student Engagement In Ms. Jones's eighth grade Math class of 25 students, there are always a few who are constantly asking how they can move to the next letter grade or percentage on their report card; they will do whatever work needs to be done to the A or A+. Then there are a number of students who seem more into the actual learning; whether they are working on projects in groups or individually, they seem to the work, although they don't always the best marks or complete the best work in relation to their peers. There are also a few, though, who seem to need her to constantly push or coerce them with such statements as, Get your work done or you're not going to the dance or Get your work done or you're staying in at lunch to complete it. And, of course, there are those who appear not to do much of anything. They sometimes attend class, although they are often caught wandering in the halls or loitering in the washrooms, and they rarely complete assignments. Ms. Jones tries to gently support them, to take the time to to know them, and even to pressure them with some serious consequences, but they just don't seem to care about schoolwork. Who are the engaged learners in this scenario? We might argue that students whose primary motivation is to get As and those who enjoy learning are engaged; they have goals, they self-reflect, and they submit higher quality work on time. …

Building learning communities with distance learning intruction

The results presented in this study represent only one of four assigned discussion board activities from only one course. However, these results are not atypical of the amount or nature of student engagement in successive discussion board assignments to these same 23 graduate students. By the final of the four on-line discussions, student engagement did decrease slightly, but still remained well above the assigned requirements. Also, similar patterns of high frequency of student involvement were found in other courses using the same type of on-line discussion board assignments. An additional anecdotal observation was completed by the course instructor; after the first on-line activity had been completed and the students re-convened on campus for class, class members appeared more comfortable and more engaged during in class discussions. In summary, the results of this study indicate that specific types of on-line instruction are capable of developing learning communities among on-line learners and creating a satisfying learning experience.

Moments of Joy

This study examined (a) the nature of student engagement (enjoyment, concentration, perceived control, exploration, and challenge) in four hypermedia design tasks: chunking, linking, naming paths, and organizing information, and (b) the impact of designing hypermedia documents on students’ conceptual learning. The findings showed a high degree of student engagement in organizing information, and a greater organization and elaboration of concepts in students’ final knowledge representations. Although there were individual differences in students’ cognitive engagement and conceptual learning, the highly motivating task of organizing information and the characteristics of the learning context sustained their engagement in cognitively complex and challenging tasks.