STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Research Proposal: Student Engagement Strategies to Improve Active

Participation

Jennifer McCarty

University of Alaska Southeast

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Student Engagement Strategies to Improve Active Participation

Rational for the Research

I am currently teaching Kindergarten. My class consists of 11 girls and 14 boys.

The majority of my class is Alaskan Native of Tsimshian decent. Most students are from

lower-to-middle class income families. There are five students that I am mostly

concerned about. In Kindergarten, I try to keep the lessons moving and as engaging as

possible, but there are those five that still do not know their letters and sounds or cannot

count past 20. It is very difficult to keep their focus when providing whole group

instruction, and sometimes during small group instruction. What engagement strategies

would work best with these learners?

Literature Review

Student engagement occurs when "students make a psychological investment in

learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in

earning the formal indicators of success (grades), but in understanding the material and

incorporating or internalizing it in their lives" (Newmann, 1992). For students to be

engaged in learning, they needed to be actively engaged and collaborative. One study

showed that students, enlisted in community colleges, that were active and collaborative

in their studies showed a link to higher grades and course completions that led to

completing degrees (McClenney, 2007). In order to hold their attention, students need to

be an active participant. They need to be able to manipulate information physically.

Students should be able to work in groups, or be able to discover things on their own.

“Keeping students involved and engaged in activities is the very best solution. When

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

students are excited about their learning, they are motivated to pay attention in class”

(McDonald, 2013). Keeping students involved and engaged in a lesson is difficult at

times. “Because children with low levels of engagement are at risk for disruptive

behavior, absenteeism, and eventually dropping out of school (Roderick & Engle 2001),

the need to increase engagement is critical to children’s success in school” (Jablon,

2006). Jablon also notes that there is a difference between being engaged and being on

task. She quotes a book, Shaking Up the School House, “Engagement is active. It

requires that students be attentive as well as in attendance; it requires the student to be

committed to the task and find some inherent value in what he or she is being asked to

do. The engaged student not only does the task assigned but also does it with enthusiasm

and diligence. Moreover, the student performs the task because he or she perceives the

task to be associated with a near-term end that he or she values. (2001, 64)” (Jablon,

2006).

Engagement is more than involvement. It requires feelings and making sense of

things and being actively involved. Students need to be able to make connections to what

is being taught. Memories are made when feelings are involved. Trowler goes into much

detail about student engagement and what it is, who is responsible for student

engagement, what kind of engagement, and reasons for engagement (Trowler, 2010).

One study listed eight different types of engagement. (Taylor & Parsons, 2011) Ways to

measure student engagement were discussed as well. These measurements focused

on attendance rate, standardized test scores, and truancy rates, which all are

quantitative data. Along with these types of engagement the best practices that were

recommended were ‘Interaction, Exploration, Relevancy, Multimedia and Instruction’.

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

What happens if student engagement is not working efficiently? There are many

strategies or best practices to keep students engaged in their learning. One study that

focused on mathematical number sense showed that activities that focused on the big

ideas of number sense as well as explicit instruction, combined with practice, led to

improvements in number skills of kindergarten students. “The present study shows

preliminary evidence that instruction combining big ideas of number sense and

explicit instruction can enhance mathematics competence of kindergarten students”

(Sood, 2010). These combined lessons and practice led to improvements in number

skills of kindergarten students (Sood, S., & Society for Research on Educational

Effectiveness, 2010). There are different strategies for various types of lessons and

groups of children. There are strategies that can be used with whole groups, small groups

and individuals. “The engagement strategies you choose depend on your purpose,

teaching style, and the children in your classroom. Regardless of the strategies selected,

effective facilitation is a key to making them work. By facilitation we mean the

techniques used to execute a strategy” (Jablon, 2003). Trowler also states that,

“Strategies for engagement hinge on one’s understanding and definition of engagement,

as well as notions of what would constitute appropriate targets, goals and beneficiaries

for engagement strategies” (Trowler, 2010). Deciding student engagement strategies

is beyond classroom observation and is more complex as each child is different.

The literature reviewed showed several themes. The first theme is that students

need to be active participants and have opportunities for collaboration in order to be

engaged in learning. The second theme is that students need to make connections with

the content; connections are more than just being involved in learning, they are active,

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

evoke feelings, and create memories. The third theme is that students ultimately

determine their own engagement strategies. Individual learners need unique ways to stay

engaged and teachers are responsible for facilitating the appropriate engagement

strategies.

Some Kindergarten students are not engaged during traditional lessons, nothing

specific, because they are generally not engaged in most lessons. Why? The goal of this

research is to improve student learning, to get students to be more involved in their

learning or make them more aware of how they are participating. Some key factors are:

socio-economic conditions, teaching technique or style, and student learning style. The

more I think of my students and how many different strategies there are, I am thinking of

using self assessment tools. This would be one way for students to become self-aware of

their learning. How can student engagement strategies help all students become aware of

their level of participation or engagement?

Method

Participants

The participants in my study are four boys and one girl. They are ages five

and six. All of the students are chosen because they are all struggling with letter and

sound recognition. I believe they are struggling because when it is time for the

letter and sound lessons, they are not engaged in the lessons. The focus of this

project is to provide different engagement strategies so that they will be able to

recognize all letters and sounds by the end of the school year.

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Materials

I will be taking observation notes (See Appendix A) and using a rubric to

check student engagement (See Appendix B) after providing lessons using different

strategies. I will use a survey with a focus group to discuss student engagement or

active participation (See Appendix C). Students will also be doing a self-report on

student engagement (See Appendix D). I will be taking notes about the observations

I have made. The data collection process will be four to five weeks.

Procedure

In my project, I will be taking notes on student engagement and what I notice

students doing during calendar time. I will use a rubric (Appendix B) for my class. I

will introduce it to my class and show them how they can place themselves on the

rubric to see how they perceive themselves. I will be meeting with a focus group

(Appendix C) to determine what student engagement is and why it is important.

After two weeks, I will give my students a survey (Appendix D) about student

engagement. After introducing an engagement strategy using songs and movement,

I will use the rubric (Appendix B) and observe my class again. I will give the survey

(Appendix D) to them again and also have another focus group (Appendix C). I will

compare the results from the beginning with the results from the end. With my

small group of students to introduce lessons, I will give clear explanations and

expectations. I hope that after showing them the rubric and discussing student

engagement that they will be aware of their participation level and that they will use

it to help stay engaged in their lessons.

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

References

Jablon, J. R., and Wilkinson, M. (2006). Using Engagement Strategies to Facilitate

Children’s Learning and Success.” Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the

Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200603/JablonBTJ.pdf

McClenney, K., Marti, C. N., and Adkins, C. (2007). “Student Engagement and Student

Outcomes: Key Findings From CCSSE Validation Research.” Community

College Survey of Student Engagement.

McDonald, Emma. “How to Involve and Engage Students.” Education World. 2013.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald007.shtml

Newmann, F. (1992) Student Engagement and Achievement in American Secondary

Schools. Teachers College Press. pp. 2–3.

Taylor, L. & Parsons, J. (2011). Improving Student Engagement. Current Issues in

Education, 14(1). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/

Trowler, V. (2010). Student Engagement Literature Review. The Higher Education

Academy. Retrieved from

https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/StudentEngagementLiteratureRe

view_1.pdf

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Observation Form-Appendix A

Date of observation:Time of observation:Observer:Place/participants observed:Student Notes Level of participation

Please Observe Level of Participation:

4 – eagerly and actively participating (stays on topic and keeps talking about it; ask and answers questions; shows understanding; makes connections to others)

3 – participating (stays on topic; ask and answers questions; shows understanding)

2 – listens respectfully; understands discussion; shows some understanding of directions; ask and answers some questions

1-not participating; ignores; distracts others; doesn’t understand directions; doesn’t ask or answer questions; doesn’t know what is going on.

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Student Engagement Rubric-Appendix B

Be an Active Learner Ignores circle talk Distracts others Doesn’t understand the directions Does not ask or answer any questions Doesn’t know what is going on

Listens respectfully Understands the discussion Shows some understanding of the directions Asks and answers some questions

Listens respectfully Participates in discussion Stays on topic Asks and answers questions and shows

understanding

Listens respectfully Stays on topic and keeps talking about it Asks and answers questions and shows

understanding Makes connections to others’ comments

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Focus Group Survey-Appendix C

What does it mean to participate?

Why is it important to participate?

What does participating look like during calendar time?

What body parts do you need to participate in learning?

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Appendix D

Active Participation Survey

Circle one picture for each question:

What are ways that you participate best?

Eyes (watching) ears (listening) hands (feeling and touching)

Whole body (movement) mouth (talking, singing, saying poems, etc.)

How do you like to participate?

Work by yourself with a partner in a group?

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