Strategies for Reaching Groups Underrepresented in STEM Fields
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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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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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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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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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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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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 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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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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