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Student Engagement: A Phenomenological Study and Follow-up Survey Dan Riordan, PhD Professor of English, UW-Stout Wendy S. Knutson Institutional Research Associate, UW-Stout UW-Stout Menomonie, WI Malcolm Baldrige Award recipient - 2001 8417 students Student Faculty Ratio: 20:1 28 undergraduate majors About 725 undergraduate courses 29 programs 39 undergraduate minors 15 graduate majors 18 programs Colleges: Arts & Science, Human Development, Technology, Engineering and Management School of Education Study Origins Summer 2005--“Targeted Project” assigned Address areas of concern with NSSE Enhance student learning and engagement Fall 2005--4-Phase plan created Qualitative Interviews--2005-2006 Quantitative Survey--2006-2007 Faculty Development Programs--2005, 2006, 2007 Assess effect 2007-2008 TLC Involvement Qualitative research experts on TLC board were closely involved in developing 05-06 interview study. Justified use of method Helped formulate questions Assisted with selecting interviewees and conducting interviews BPA investigated data and compiled report Use of Qualitative Study Used to derive questions for 20062007 quantitative study Used as basis for summer workshop Results circulated to all faculty via US mail Study Design Known as a phenomenological study “Describes the meaning of the lived experiences for several individuals about a concept or the phenomenon” (Creswell) Analyzing Phenomenological Data Epoche – to refrain from judgment; to abstain from or stay away from the everyday, ordinary way of perceiving things. Phenomenological Reduction Not only a way of seeing, but a way of listening with a conscious and deliberate intention of opening ourselves to phenomena as phenomena, in their own right. Analyzing Phenomenological Data Transcripts read multiple times in their entirety by investigator. Comments related to engagement extracted All comments recorded and given equal weight Comments independently analyzed BPA office Faculty member/interviewer Graduate student with qualitative research experience Analyzing Phenomenological Data Criteria for extracted comments Does it contain a moment of the experience that is a necessary and sufficient constituent for understanding it? Is it possible to abstract it and label it? Comments that did not meet the above criteria were eliminated. Analyzing Phenomenological Data Thematic Development Themes were representative of all participants Common themes compared from all reviewers BPA office responsible for final selection and description of common themes At least five responses were needed to identify a primary or secondary theme Results Six primary themes were identified Relationships Empowerment Application Passion of the instructor Asking questions Openness to experience Secondary themes were also developed Relationships To have your voice heard or to feel like you are having more of a conversation with the professor versus a lecture. I think it helps when the instructor knows your name to help you feel more connected with them. Empowerment Here’s the subject. You get to choose how you want to go about doing this project. Where the instructor gives you that share in what we’re learning. Application Where I understand what the instructor is talking about and I’m remembering it to where I can use it later on. I also think that engagement is handson, minds-on basically, where you’re given an opportunity to actually practice what you’re taught. The Passion of the Instructor You can just tell when an instructor really likes what they do. There is so much that goes along with being passionate about what you’re teaching. Asking Questions If you have questions, you’re not afraid to say, “Hey, I don’t understand something.” I would think the attitudes of the students change a lot because you know you’re not afraid to ask questions, you’re not afraid - none of the questions were stupid. Openness to Experience There’s an openness and respect for the environment that comes when people feel respected. An environment has to be set up as such where the players involved feel that their voice matters or that their voice is heard. Survey Development All statements extracted from interviews sent to members of TLC. Indicated whether or not to use statement Two versions piloted to students (n=122) Original statements reduced to 29 plus two qualitative questions Used four-point scale to indicate level of agreement Survey Development Questions were drawn from all six themes identified in the study Grouped into 3 constructs What is the instructor doing? What’s going on in the classroom? What am I doing? Survey Results Sent to random sample of 1240 UG full-time students Answered by 640 students (51.6%) Results Highest mean ratings: I am more willing to participate in class when I feel my instructor respects me 97% agree/strongly agree Mean of 3.6 on a 4-point scale I am accountable for my learning 98% agree/strongly agree Mean of 3.42 on a 4-point scale Results Differences by class status: Highest means reported by seniors Lowest means reported by juniors and freshmen 28 of 29 questions saw means rise from freshman to sophomore, fall from sophomore to junior, and rise again from junior to senior. Results Most frequent responses to question about relationships: Relationships related to group work/partner work Being known/acknowledged by their instructor Results Most frequent responses to question about what happens in the classroom to influence engagement: Teaching/learning styles Class content Interactions with instructor Uses of Study Letter to all faculty via US Mail Reports 6 themes Suggests pedagogical strategies “Teacher Story” sessions Share results Create sense of community Student-centered Institutes--Summers 2005, 2006, 2007 Course Projects designed Projects Developed Group/project work, including on-line Interactive lectures Problem-based Learning One faculty member converts in mid-semester Leads to numerous presentations PBL study group forms in 2006-7 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Projects based on relationships on-line Implications What does engagement look like? Does engagement cause learning? What does engagement look like? Answer is not clear External descriptors Discussing, interacting Internal descriptors Respected, feeling changes, excited, safe, work to understand, accountable Does Engagement Cause Learning? Answer is not clear Pattern that emerges Environment broadly defined as both physical and emotional and conceptual Attitudes and desires Willingness Requires further study on willingness The Engagement Pattern Environment creates Attitude and Desires cause Desire and Willingness to Learn Engagement Comments Having a teacher that respects their students and what they say, makes me want to learn/participate more. If they show me how important it is to them, I begin to realized that passion also. It keeps me focused on what we are learning and makes me want to learn and understand more. Community of Practice Easy to relate to Community of Practice theory Elements of Community of Practice Domain--the common ground that all members focus on Community--interactions and relationships based on trust and respect Practice--items that members are expected to know and be able to use (Wenger, et al) It is via such communities that learning occurs. (Wenger) The Future Continue to refine meaning of engagement Continue to refine pedagogy of engagement Investigate effect on retention Investigate effect on [chosen aspect of] learning Invite replications of our study References Creswell, John W. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Traditions. (1998). Thousand Oaks: Sage. Knutson, Wendy S. Study of Student Engagement. (2006). Unpublished. Moustakas, Clark. Phenomenological Research Methods. (1994). Thousand Oaks: Sage. Wenger, Etienne, Richard McDermott, and William Snyder. Cultivating Communities of Practice. (2002). Boston: Harvard U. Wenger, Etienne. Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. (1998). Cambridge U. For further information: http://www.uwstout.edu/tlc/engagem ent.htm [email protected] [email protected]