ICT-based Instructional Design

So, what exactly does “student engagement” mean, you might be asking. It’s a good question and one that’s still under debate by education researchers.

An important thing to note is its difference in participation. It’s possible for a student to participate in class without being deeply engaged with the subject matter. They might raise their hand and answer questions they know, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have thought through the content. For example, a student in maths class might be able to solve problems quickly using a formula, but they may not understand why that formula works and how to apply it in different contexts.

In contrast, student engagement involves meaningful learning.

The Victorian Government’s Department of Education and Training note that student engagement is complex and hard to define because it is influenced by many factors.

However, educational research has identified three elements of engagement:

1. behavioural engagement – this is about a student's participation in education, including social and extracurricular school activities as well as academic ones
2. emotional engagement – including a student’s emotional reactions in the classroom and the school community (a sense of belonging or connectedness to the school)
3. cognitive engagement – a student’s investment in their learning (including their motivation and self-regulation).

Some factors that influence student engagement include:

• teacher factors – such as their interaction style, amount of support provided, responsiveness, and behavioural and academic expectations
• school factors – including the physical setting factors (eg classroom layout, noise and lighting levels), and how the school supports and disciplines students
• student factors – such as a student’s emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioural state, including issues such as health, disability and peer relationships
• family and community factors – including a student’s residential circumstances, amount of family support for/involvement in education, and family relationships
• curriculum and resources factors – such as the availability and type of learning resources (including education technology), learning task factors (eg level of difficulty, interest, meaningfulness), the learning goals and objectives, and assessment approaches.