The Measurement of Student Engagement

dapple there is limited research on affair in freehanded literacy contexts across researchers, the literature shows a vast number of researchers have studied pupil difference of opinion.The definitions and descriptions of student leadment are broad and celestial orbit from functionment as participation in school as a social system (Finn, 1989 Newmann, 1981 Newmann, Wehlage, & Lamborn, 1992), to the concept that engagement is a cognitive function used during certain academic tasks (Corno & Mandinach, 1983 Helme & Clark, 2001 Pintrich & De Groot, 1990).More recently, student engagement has been reinforced around the optimistic goal of developing students abilities to acquire how to learn or to become lifelong learners in a knowledge-based society (Gilbert, 2007, p. 1). Therefore, it is clear there is no one universal agreement among researchers as to what a definition of student engagement might be.Researchers have instead explained unlike forms of engagement and how they work for different students under different conditions (Kuh, 2009).For example, Kuh (2009) defines student engagement as the time and effort students devote to activities that are empirically linked to sought after outcomes of college and what institutions do to induce students to participate in these activities (p. 683).Coates (2007) describes engagement as a broad construct intend to encompass salient academic as well as certain non-academic aspects of the student experience (p. 22), comprising progressive and collaborative learning participation in challenging academic activities formative communication with academic stave involvement in enriching educational experiences and feeling legitimated and supported by university learning communities.Hu and Kuh (2001) define engagement as the quality of effort students themselves devote to educationally purposeful activities that contribute directly to desired outcomes (p. 3). Comparably, Harper and Quaye, (2008) bespeak engagement is mor e than involvement or participation and requires feelings, sense-making, and activity as acting without feeling intermeshed is merely involvement or compliance and feeling engaged without acting is dissociation.Glanville and Wildhagen (2007) acknowledge there is a indicate over the recognition of engagement being a single or multi-dimensional concept state. These authors conclude that engagement should be measured as a multidimensional concept (p. 1019) that is divided into behavioural and psychological segments.In recognising this multi-dimensional concept, Fredricks et al. (2004) drawing on Bloom (1956), identify triplet dimensions of student engagement that can be synthesised to draw a deeper and more meaningful grasp on student engagement Cognitive, emotional, and behavioural.In looking at these categories, in turn, cognitive engagement includes deuce components psychological and cognitive.The psychological component emphasises students investment in learning, motivation to learn and self-regulated learning as it relates to thoughtfulness and a willingness to put in the effort to comprehend complex ideas and to get the hang difficult skills (Blumenfeld, Kempler, & Krajcik, 2006).The cognitive component involves self-regulated learning, meta-cognition, application of learning strategies, and being strategic in thinking and studying. cognitively engaged students invest in their learning, seek to go beyond the requirements and enjoy being challenged (Fredricks et al., 2004).In the adult literacy context, examples of cognitive engagement might include The effort in understanding course material completing assignments critically analysing information applying concepts to real-world examples and deepening insights through research and interaction (Harper & Quaye, 2008).Emotional engagement comprises students attitudes, interests, and values broadly in relation to positive or negative interactions with faculty, staff, students, academics, or the institut ion. Students who engage emotionally experience affective reactions such as interest, excitement and enjoyment, or a sense of belonging (Fredricks et al., 2004).Emotional engagement in like manner refers to a students reactions to others, connections with the school community, and how students feel about their educational experience (ODonnell, Reeve, Smith, 2011).Behavioural engagement involves complying with behavioural norms such as attendance, involvement and participation, student behaviours related to concentration, attention, persistence, effort, asking questions, and contributing to class discussions (Fredricks et al., 2004 Hattie Anderman, 2013).These students are typically not disruptive, nor do they demonstrate negative behaviour (Fredricks et al., 2004). In adult literacy, examples of behavioural engagement may include respecting others, auditory modality to instructors and peers, engaging in discussions, and participating in group work or teams (Harper Quaye, 2008) .Fredricks et al., (2004) explain that each of these three dimensions can have a positive and a negative pole, each one representing a form of engagement with the two extremities separated by a space of non-engagement, demonstrated by withdrawal, or apathy.This means that students can engage either positively or negatively along one or more of the dimensions or engage positively or negatively along one or more dimension while not engaging along another or others (Fredricks et al., 2004).