Author: Shela Dawn SeatonPublisher:
ISBN: 9781267667847
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Research on student engagement suggests students who are engaged with school are more likely to learn, to find the experience rewarding, to graduate, and to pursue higher education (Marks, 2000; Finn, 1993). Several recent studies suggest that student engagement is a predictor of student achievement in school, regardless of socioeconomic status (Klem & Connell, 2004; Finn & Rock, 1997; Voelkl, 1995). In recent years, there has been a significant increase in attention on student engagement by educators and policymakers as a key to addressing low achievement, in particularly, an interest on a teacher's impact on student engagement in the classroom (Fredricks et al., 2004). Recent policy initiatives have led to the development and use of classroom observational surveys that attempt to measure student engagement in the classroom as a potential indicator of teacher effectiveness. Yet, there is substantial variation in how student engagement has been defined (Fredricks, McColskey, Meli, Montrosse, Mordica, & Mooney, 2011). This variation presents challenges for educators and researchers as they develop and apply measures of student engagement for the purpose of utilizing the results to inform the design of educational environments that promote higher levels of engagement. Currently, there are three prevailing methods for measuring student engagement: direct observation of student behaviors, student self-reported measures of engagement, and teacher-reported measures of student engagement (Furlong & Christenson, 2008; Spanjers, Burns, & Wagner, 2008; Appleton, Christenson, Kim, & Reschly, 2006; Fredricks et al., 2004; Klem & Connell, 2004; Shapiro 2004; Chapman, 2003; Marks, 2000; Fredricks et al., 2011). In studies measuring observable student behaviors, the direct observation of student behaviors is common. This study analyzes the RSDSS 6 Instructional Time Survey, a classroom observational tool that is designed to measure student behavioral engagement. This study tested and confirmed the validity and reliability of the RSDSS 6 Instructional Time Survey as a measure of the overall level of student engagement in K-8 classrooms, specifically behavioral engagement in instructional content in the classroom.