Showing papers on "Student engagement published in 2004"
TL;DR: The concept of school engagement has attracted increasing attention as representing a possible antidote to declining academic motivation and achievement as mentioned in this paper, and it is presumed to be malleable, responsive to contextual features, and amenable to environmental change.
Abstract: The concept of school engagement has attracted increasing attention as representing a possible antidote to declining academic motivation and achievement. Engagement is presumed to be malleable, responsive to contextual features, and amenable to environmental change. Researchers describe behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement and recommend studying engagement as a multifaceted construct. This article reviews definitions, measures, precursors, and outcomes of engagement; discusses limitations in the existing research; and suggests improvements. The authors conclude that, although much has been learned, the potential contribution of the concept of school engagement to research on student experience has yet to be realized. They call for richer characterizations of how students behave, feel, and think—research that could aid in the development of finely tuned interventions
7,641 citations
TL;DR: Research suggests that for students to take advantage of high expectations and more advanced curricula, they need support from the people with whom they interact in school, and research suggests it does.
Abstract: An emerging consensus exists in the school reform literature about what conditions contribute to student success.'** Conditions include high standards for academic learning and conduct, meaningful and engaging pedagogy and curriculum, professional learning communities among staff, and personalized learning environments. Schools providing such supports are more likely to have students who are engaged in and connected to school. Professionals and parents readily understand the need for high standards and quality curriculum and pedagogy in school. Similarly, the concept of teachers working together as professionals to ensure student success is not an issue. But the urgency to provide a personalized learning environment for students especially with schools struggling to provide textbooks to all students, hot meals, security, and janitorial services is not as great in many quarters. While parents would prefer their children experience a caring school environment, does such an environment influence student academic performance? Research suggests it does. For students to take advantage of high expectations and more advanced curricula, they need support from the people with whom they interact in school.^''
1,849 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the relationship between participating in learning communities and student engagement in a range of educationally purposeful activities of first-year and senior students from 365 4-year institutions and found that participating in a learning community is positively linked to engagement as well as student self-reported outcomes and overall satisfaction with college.
Abstract: This study examines the relationships between participating in learning communities and student engagement in a range of educationally purposeful activities of first-year and senior students from 365 4-year institutions. The findings indicate that participating in a learning community is positively linked to engagement as well as student self-reported outcomes and overall satisfaction with college.
1,207 citations
936 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: More than a quarter of the students who enter four-year institutions and half of those who enter two-year schools depart at the end of their first year of college.
Abstract: More than a quarter of the students who enter four-year institutions and half of those who enter two-year schools depart at the end of their first year. This phenomenon is known as the ""departure puzzle,"" and for years, the most important body of work on student retention has come from sociologist Vincent Tinto. In Reworking the Student Departure Puzzle, leading scholars of the college student experience - including Tinto himself - reevaluate Tinto's interactionalist perspective, which holds that students unable to connect with either the academic or social subsystems of their institutions are likely to leave. Recent critiques of this theory have indicated the need for either its serious revision or the development of a new theory altogether. The contributors to this volume offer a variety of both theoretical and methodological perspectives on student departure, with additional chapters covering minority student retention, the link between college choice and student persistence, and the effect of the classroom experience on the student's choice. The recommendations made here will not only reinvigorate research on this important topic but will also lead administrators to better mana
926 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that student voice activities can create meaningful experiences for youth that help to meet fundamental developmental needs, especially for students who otherwise do not find meaning in their school experiences, finding a marked consistency in the growth of agency, belonging and competence.
Abstract: The notion of ‘‘student voice,’’ or a student role in the decision making and change efforts of schools, has emerged in the new millennium as a potential strategy for improving the success of school reform efforts. Yet few studies have examined this construct either theoretically or empirically. Grounded in a sociocultural perspective, this article provides some of the first empirical data on youth participation in student voice efforts by identifying how student voice opportunities appear to contribute to ‘‘youth development’’ outcomes in young people. The article finds that student voice activities can create meaningful experiences for youth that help to meet fundamental developmental needsFespecially for students who otherwise do not find meaning in their school experiences. Specifically, this research finds a marked consistency in the growth of agency, belonging and competenceFthree assets that are central to youth development. While these outcomes were consistent across the students in this study, the data demonstrate how the structure of student voice efforts and nature of adult/student relations fundamentally influence the forms of youth development outcomes that emerge.
503 citations
TL;DR: In this article, student engagement with faculty members and its relationship to learning was investigated for students of seven different racial/ethnic groups (N = 4,501), yielding small differences by student race/ethnicity.
Abstract: Student engagement with faculty members and its relationship to learning was investigated for students of seven different racial/ethnic groups (N = 4,501), yielding small differences by student race/ethnicity. Relationships with faculty were stronger predictors of learning than student background characteristics for all groups, but strongest for students of color.
379 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined whether the closeness and quality of relationships between intervention staff and students involved in the Check & Connect program were associated with improved student engagement in school.
371 citations
TL;DR: The most effective intervention programs identify and track youth at risk for school failure, maintain a focus on students' progress toward educational standards across the school years, and are designed to address indicators of student engagement and to impact enrollment status as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Preventing school dropout and promoting successful graduation is a national concern that poses a significant challenge for schools and educational communities working with youth at risk for school failure. Although students who are at greatest risk for dropping out of school can be identified, they disengage from school and drop out for a variety of reasons for which there is no one common solution. The most effective intervention programs identify and track youth at risk for school failure, maintain a focus on students' progress toward educational standards across the school years, and are designed to address indicators of student engagement and to impact enrollment status—not just the predictors of dropout. To leave no child behind, educators must address issues related to student mobility, alternate routes to school completion, and alternate time lines for school completion, as well as engage in rigorous evaluation of school-completion programs.
343 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a reflection model that pushes students beyond superficial interpretations of complex issues and facilitates academic mastery, personal growth, civic engagement, critical thinking, and meaningful demonstration of learning is described.
Abstract: The value of reflection on experience to enhance learning has been advanced for decades; however, it remains difficult to apply in practice. This paper describes a reflection model that pushes students beyond superficial interpretations of complex issues and facilitates academic mastery, personal growth, civic engagement, critical thinking, and the meaningful demonstration of learning. Although developed in a service-learning program, its general features can support reflection on a range of experiences. It is accessible to both students and instructors, regardless of discipline; and it generates written products that can be used for formative and summative assessment of student learning.
TL;DR: The authors compared student learning from different modes of presenting classroom demonstrations to determine how much students learn from traditionally presented demonstrations, and whether learning can be enhanced by simply changing the mode of presentation to increase student engagement.
Abstract: We compared student learning from different modes of presenting classroom demonstrations to determine how much students learn from traditionally presented demonstrations, and whether learning can be enhanced by simply changing the mode of presentation to increase student engagement. We find that students who passively observe demonstrations understand the underlying concepts no better than students who do not see the demonstration at all, in agreement with previous studies. Learning is enhanced, however, by increasing student engagement; students who predict the demonstration outcome before seeing it, however, display significantly greater understanding.
22 Jun 2004
TL;DR: Examination of what learning occurs when an electromagnetism simulation game is used in a school for underserved students finds game mechanics enabled students to confront weaknesses in understandings, and physics representations became tools for understanding problems.
Abstract: Learning scientists are increasingly turning to computer and video games as tools for learning. Simulation might not only motivate learners, but provide accessible ways for students to develop intuitive understandings of abstract physics phenomena. This study examines what learning occurs when an electromagnetism simulation game is used in a school for underserved students. Students in the experimental group performed better than students in the control group (guided discovery-based science) on measures for understanding. Game mechanics enabled students to confront weaknesses in understandings, and physics representations became tools for understanding problems. Implications for the design of educational digital media are discussed. Yet, it was also these very same game mechanics posed significant challenges in terms of student engagement, motivation, and learning of physics concepts.
TL;DR: Check & Connect as discussed by the authors is a model designed to promote student engagement, support regular attendance, and improve the likelihood of school completion, which has been used successfully with students attending middle school and high school, with and without disabilities, in suburban and urban settings.
Abstract: Students who are at risk of dropping out of school can be identified retrospectively as early as third grade on the basis of attendance patterns, academic performance, and behavior. Check & Connect is a model designed to promote student engagement, support regular attendance, and improve the likelihood of school completion. The program has been used successfully with students attending middle school and high school, with and without disabilities, and in suburban and urban settings. An overview of Check & Connect, key components of the model, and an application of the model implemented with students who were referred for excessive attendance problems during elementary school years are described. Results from an evaluation of its effectiveness with students who received intervention for at least 2 years (n = 147) showed increased levels of student participation as evidenced by significant increases in the percentage of students whose absences or tardies dropped to or below 5% of the time. In addition, over ...
TL;DR: The authors examined how one type of student work habit was related to a combination of both student factors (math achievement, personal achievement goals, perceptions of classroom goal structures, and teacher support) and features of the classroom context.
Abstract: This study examined how one type of student work habitFclassroom participationFis related to a combination of both student factors (math achievement, personal achievement goals, perceptions of classroom goal structures, and teacher support) and features of the classroom context (teachers’ instructional practices, average perceptions of classroom goal structures). We focused on the participation of two students in mathematics class during both sixth and seventh grades. Differential teacher expectations, calling patterns, and instructional and motivational support and nonsupport interacted with beliefs and behaviors of both students, and those interactions were associated with different patterns of participation each year. Results suggest that student participation is malleable rather than stable and emphasize the potential of teacher practices to both support and undermine the development of student work habits.
TL;DR: In this article, the differences in student engagement between women and men at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are examined. But, the results counter previous research regarding gender gaps on HBCU campuses by illustrating that African American women enjoy an equally engaging experience as their same-race male counterparts.
Abstract: Differences in student engagement between women and men at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are examined in this study. Data were collected from 1,167 African American undergraduate students at 12 four-year HBCUs that participated in the National Survey of Student Engagement. Controlling for several factors that might obscure gender differences, the results counter previous research regarding gender gaps on HBCU campuses by illustrating that African American women enjoy an equally engaging experience as their same-race male counterparts.
DOI•
01 May 2004
TL;DR: Berge and Haung as discussed by the authors propose a customizable model of student retention that takes into account personal, circumstantial, and institutional factors, as well as the interconnectedness of these factors.
Abstract: 13:5 A Model for Sustainable Student Retention: A Holistic Perspective on the Student Dropout Problem with Special Attention to e-Learning Editorial Increasingly, the focus in higher education is on outcomes, rather than structures. “Student success” has become one of the primary factors in discussions of higher education quality, especially the quality of online programs. Although student success has been defined in a variety of ways, most definitions include the idea of persistence to the completion of the student’s program. Thus, increased retention becomes the goal of many of an institution’s quality assessment and improvement efforts. In this month’s article Drs. Berge and Haung propose a customizable model of student retention that takes into account personal, circumstantial, and institutional factors, as well as the interconnectedness of these factors. The authors suggest that the model can provide useful guidance for institutional—and to some extent students’ personal—decision making.
TL;DR: Results indicate that social presence affects the learner's interactions and perception of the instructor but has no effect on perceived learning, satisfaction, engagement, or the quality of their final course product.
Abstract: This research experimentally manipulated the social presence cues in instructor's messages to students. The context was an online professional development one-credit course with one-to-one mentoring of students. Additionally, student learning intentions and levels of trust were examined as factors that may mitigate the effects of social presence. Results indicate that social presence affects the learner's interactions and perception of the instructor but has no effect on perceived learning, satisfaction, engagement, or the quality of their final course product. These findings suggest social presence is a correlational rather than a causal variable associated with student learning. Exploratory analyses suggest that trust and learning intentions are potentially important factors impacting student perceptions of the learning environment and performance in the course respectively.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a critical-democratic approach to student engagement based on critical democratic practice which entails the enactment of a curriculum of life, and discuss the criteria, standards, and norms used to determine the quality and degree of student engagement.
Abstract: In the last decade educational research about school improvement and effective schools increasingly identifies the significance of student engagement especially in relation to the academic success of students. There are several issues and concerns, relating both to the meaning and justification or aims of student engagement, that arise from this work that call for a philosophical inquiry. This paper offers an initial philosophical inquiry of student engagement. The paper is divided into two sections. The first section critically examines meanings and definitions of student engagement from current literature. The second section addresses several related issues, such as concerns of the purpose of student engagement, and the criteria, standards, and norms used to determine the quality and degree of engagement. It is argued that without considering such philosophical issues, empirical and psychological work on student engagement could simply, and at times unwittingly, reproduce existing dominant views that promote a deficient and exclusionary mentality. In contrast, we propose a conception of student engagement based on critical-democratic practice which entails the enactment of a curriculum of life.
TL;DR: The authors report the outcomes of a study, undertaken from a phenomenographic perspective, of academics' ways of experiencing or understanding being a university teacher, and a range of understandings were found, representing in particular a varying focus on the experience of teaching as a: teacher transmission focused experience, teacher-student relations focused experience; student engagement focused experience and student learning focused experience.
Abstract: This paper reports the outcomes of a study, undertaken from a phenomenographic perspective, of academics' ways of experiencing or understanding being a university teacher. A range of understandings was found, representing in particular a varying focus on the experience of teaching as a: teacher transmission focused experience; teacher–student relations focused experience; student engagement focused experience; and student learning focused experience. This work builds on previous studies of university teachers' conceptions of teaching. However, the focus taken in this study on the experience of being a teacher, rather than engaging in teaching, has highlighted new aspects of university teaching.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors observed 6 primary-grades teachers in public and private schools and found that two of them were much more effective compared to the other four in producing greater student engagement and literacy progress.
Abstract: We observed 6 primary-grades teachers in public and private schools in this study. Based on mid-year observations, 2 of these teachers were much more effective compared to the other 4 in producing greater student engagement and literacy progress, as determined by video and observation data of multiple content areas and as rated by the Classroom AIMS instrument. These 2 more effective teachers began the school year differently than the other teachers, again documented through observation of their teaching. Consistent with previous studies, the 2 more effective teachers did more to establish routines and procedures at the beginning of the year. In addition, compared to the less effective teachers, on the first days of school the more effective teachers offered more engaging activities, more enthusiastically introduced reading and writing, indicated higher expectations, praised specific accomplishments of students, pointed out when specific students were behaving in a praiseworthy fashion, and encouraged stu...
TL;DR: Csikszentmihalyi et al. as discussed by the authors compared the experiences of college students during cooperative learning and large-group instruction and found that the overall quality of experience was greater during the cooperative learning; benefits occurred specifically for thinking on task, student engagement, perceptions of task importance and optimal levels of challenge and skill.
Abstract: The authors compared the experiences of college students during cooperative learning and large-group instruction. Undergraduate educational psychology students were assigned to small groups to discuss how they could apply important psychological principles to teaching-learning projects. Students were interrupted during cooperative learning and large-group instruction so that the authors could measure perceptions of their experiences with the experience sampling method (M. Csikszentmihalyi, K. Rathunde, & S. Whalen, 1993). Overall quality of experience was greater during cooperative learning; benefits occurred specifically for thinking on task, student engagement, perceptions of task importance, and optimal levels of challenge and skill. Students were more self-conscious and reported more difficulty concentrating during cooperative learning. Quality of experience did not differ across instructional contexts for high- vs. low-achieving students; high-achieving students experienced greater overall quality of...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored psychological and parental factors in relation to academic performance of middle-class African American adolescents and found that these factors were associated with academic performance in a variety of domains.
Abstract: Because of the scarcity of knowledge about middle-class African American adolescents, the present study explored psychological and parental factors in relation to academic performance. The particip...
TL;DR: Pedagogical results indicate that the combination of game development and friendly student competition is a significant motivator for increased student performance.
Abstract: A motivated student is more likely to be a successful learner. Interesting assignments encourage student learning by actively engaging them in the material. Active student learning is especially important in an introductory data structures course where students learn the fundamentals of programming. In this paper, the author describes a project for a data structures course based on the idea of competitive programming. Competitive programming motivates student learning by allowing students to evaluate and improve their programs throughout an assignment by competing their code against instructor-defined code and the code of other students in a tournament environment. Pedagogical results indicate that the combination of game development and friendly student competition is a significant motivator for increased student performance.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, a pre-and post-assessment of critical thinking skills was conducted using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, and significant increases were found in the Deduction and Interpretation subtests, and total critical thinking.
Abstract: Critical thinking is often seen as a universal goal of higher education but is seldom confirmed as an outcome. This study was conducted to determine whether an introductory level college leadership course that encouraged active learning increased critical thinking skills. A pre- and post-assessment of critical thinking skills was conducted using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Significant increases were found in the Deduction and Interpretation subtests, and total Critical Thinking. Student engagement in active learning techniques within the context of studying interpersonal skills for leadership appeared to increase critical thinking. ********** The origins of critical thinking may date back 2500 years to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle whose basic teaching premises were often to encourage their students to realize that things very often are not what they seem on the surface. A more modern adaptation to education can be found in the work of Dewey (1909, 1997) who proposed that critical thinking involved the suspension of judgment and healthy skepticism. Another modern adaptation by Ennis (1962) suggested that students should be assisted in the engagement of thinking that is reflective, reasonable, and directed on what to believe or do. A number of researchers (e.g. Boostrum, 1994; Brookfield, 1987; Ennis, 1985; Facione, 1984; Halpern, 1996; Kurfiss, 1988; McPeck, 1981; Paul, 1982; Siegel, 1991; Watson & Glaser, 1980a) have put forth definitions and theories regarding critical thinking. Throughout the earlier research, there was enough variation to serve as a catalyst for the American Philosophical Association to recruit Peter Facione in 1987 to head a systematic inquiry into the current research on critical thinking and how to assess it. Facione and a panel of experts representing several academic disciplines formed the "Delphi Project." One outcome of this panel was a definition of critical thinking. Earlier theorists' work played an important role in the formulation of this definition that states, in part, "We understand critical thinking to be a purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation and inference as well as explanation of the evidential conceptual methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment was based (Facione, 1990)." While definitions and conceptualizations may differ, "there is enough agreement among authors in the field of critical thinking to allow educators to teach courses in which it is the main goal and content matter ..." (Halpern, 2003, p. 357). In 1983, A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) called for the higher education community to take a serious look at the faltering achievements of American students. Norris (1985) noted that competence in critical thinking was lower than it should be at every stage of schooling. In a study involving 874 sociology students, Logan (1976) concluded that those at every college level (from freshmen to graduate students) scored "very low" in ability to recognize uncritical or unsound thinking. Keeley, Browne, and Kreutzer (1982) found that while college seniors outperformed freshmen, they still exhibited "major deficiencies in applying critical evaluation skills." Kuhn (1991) concluded that the majority of the population could not reliably produce genuine evidence for their opinions, enter counter arguments, or rebut counter arguments. In 1989, President Bush and a commission of governors formulated Goals 2000. The document called for colleges and universities to take critical thinking objectives more seriously by improving the abilities of college students to be more effective thinkers, communicators, and problems solvers. In some instances, state universities have been mandated to include critical thinking as part of their general education requirements (Halpern, 2003). Sternberg (1985) identified a new readiness among college faculty to experiment with more effective methods and described several promising programs for improving thinking skills. …
30 Nov 2004
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine how learning outcomes are used in higher education and evaluate the implications for curriculum design and student learning in the UK and assess the implications of learning outcomes on curriculum design.
Abstract: Higher Education (HE) in the UK has experienced a series of remarkable changes over the last thirty years as successive governments have sought to make the sector more efficient and more accountable for investment of public funds. Rapid expansion in student numbers and pressures to widen participation amongst non-traditional students are key challenges facing HE. Learning outcomes can act as a benchmark for assuring quality and efficiency in HE and they also enable universities to describe courses in an unambiguous way so as to demystify (and open up) education to a wider audience. This paper examines how learning outcomes are used in HE and evaluates the implications for curriculum design and student learning.
TL;DR: This article evaluated the relationship between assessment practices and achievement and mediating roles of student selfefficacy and effort and found that teacher assessment practices had significant relationships to classroom performance, and cross-level interactions between student characteristics and teacher practices suggested that classroom assessment practices might uniquely interact with student characteristics in their role of motivating student effort and performance.
Abstract: This project evaluated the relationship between assessment practices and achievement and the mediating roles of student self-efficacy and effort. In part, this was based on a framework proposed by Brookhart (1997). The United States portion of the Third International Math and Science Study was used to estimate these relationships. Several student level characteristics were important explanatory variables regarding variation in mathematics achievement, including mathematics self-efficacy, effort, and level of uncontrollable attributions. At the classroom level, teacher assessment practices had significant relationships to classroom performance. In addition, cross-level interactions (between student characteristics and teacher practices) suggested that classroom assessment practices might uniquely interact with student characteristics in their role of motivating student effort and performance.
TL;DR: This paper summarized what is known about evaluating the effectiveness of instruction in postsecondary education and proposed areas for improvements, as well as considerations for future research, and concluded that despite the contention surrounding student evaluations of teaching, they will continue to be used for personnel decisions.
Abstract: First introduced in the mid-1920s, student evaluation of instruction is a routine, mandatory part of teaching in colleges and universities in America. In this research, we summarized what is known about evaluating the effectiveness of instruction in postsecondary education and proposed areas for improvements, as well as considerations for future research. Considerable confusion, discontent, and concern were evident in the literature regarding the usefulness of ratings-based evaluations. Despite the contention surrounding student evaluations of teaching, they will continue to be used for personnel decisions. For this reason, research-based methods for improving the process and addressing areas of concern are still needed.
TL;DR: This article investigated the relationship between the future temporal orientation (FTO) and academic performance of African American high school students and found that FTO was associated with perceptions of education usefulness, which was then associated with valuing academic work.
Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between the Future Temporal Orientation (FTO) and academic performance of African American high school students. We hypothesized that the relationship between FTO and academic performance would be mediated by students’ perceptions of the usefulness of an education and their valuing of academic work and that the relationships between FTO and the hypothesized mediators would be moderated by students’ perceptions of school and societal inequity. The students (N = 334) completed questionnaires assessing their temporal orientation and educational attitudes, and GPAs were gathered from their transcripts. Results and post hoc analyses supported the existence of a three-step process: FTO was associated with perceptions of education usefulness, which was then associated with valuing academic work (a relationship moderated by perceived unfair treatment at school), which was then associated with GPAs. The significance of FTO development as a normative process and possible pro...