Assessment of Student Engagement: An analysis of trends

Quality is a multi-dimensional concept and embraces all functions and activities of higher education (academic programs, research, and community services) in all their features and components. Traditionally quality was a measure of resources and reputation. In recent years there has been a shift in emphasis to institutional best practices such as setting high expectations, providing involving settings, inclusive learning environments and forms of pedagogy that enhance student learning and development. The concept of student engagement is thus receiving increased attention globally as it is viewed as an important element in assessing and improving institutional effectiveness. Trend and longitudinal analyses, as employed in this study, allow an institution to monitor change or stability in performance over time. They assist in determining whether a certain policy or initiative prompted desirable change and in assessing the impact of improvement initiatives such as accreditation.

     

Assessment of Student Engagement: An analysis of trends

Quality is a multi-dimensional concept and embraces all functions and activities of higher education (academic programs, research, and community services) in all their features and components. Traditionally quality was a measure of resources and reputation. In recent years there has been a shift in emphasis to institutional best practices such as setting high expectations, providing involving settings, inclusive learning environments and forms of pedagogy that enhance student learning and development. The concept of student engagement is thus receiving increased attention globally as it is viewed as an important element in assessing and improving institutional effectiveness. Trend and longitudinal analyses, as employed in this study, allow an institution to monitor change or stability in performance over time. They assist in determining whether a certain policy or initiative prompted desirable change and in assessing the impact of improvement initiatives such as accreditation.     

烟台大学本科生学习性投入程度调查研究

本文主要针对"NSSE-China量表的信度"和"烟台大学在全国大学中处于怎样的水平"来进行分析和阐述。研究发现,烟台大学在校园环境的支持程度(SCE)上高于全国平均水平,且明显优于"211工程"院校平均水平;在学业挑战度(LAC)、主动合作学习水平(ACL)、生师互动(SFI)三个指标方面与"211工程"院校无明显差别;与地方本科同类院校相比,在教育经验的丰富程度(EEE)和校园环境的支持程度(SCE)上毫不逊色;在学业挑战度(LAC)、主动合作学习水平(ACL)、生师互动方面(SFI)上要低于地方本科同类院校平均水平。     

网络课程学习的参与度研究

专业课程的全英文授课常因阅读量较大、专业词汇难记而使得学生对课程学习的参与度低,学习效果不佳。本研究探索了利用互联网讨论组功能以及英文专业网站论坛来提高学生学习参与度的方法,同时利用Archer提出的反思性模型来研究学生参与教学活动的一系列反思模式。通过讨论内容的统计分析和与参与者面谈的方式,我们考察并提高了网络辅助学习环境中学生对全英文专业课程学习的参与效果。     

大学生学习性投入调查研究

本研究以NSSE-China为调查工具,以福州大学为案例,通过福州大学与"985"、"211"院校常模在五大可比指标、主要教育环节上的比较研究,发现福州大学在本科教育方面存在的问题,并就问题进行分析,提出了改进建议。     

Student and Faculty Member Engagement in Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research (UR) is a valued co-curricular activity that has involved an increasing number of students and faculty members in recent years. While there is a growing body of research on student participation in UR, there is less research available examining faculty perceptions of, participation in UR, and how those factors influence student participation in UR. This study examined approximately 110,000 responses to the National Survey of Student Engagement and 40,000 responses to the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement at over 450 four-year institutions. Findings revealed that individual and institutional characteristics predicted student and faculty member involvement and that the majority of faculty members perceived UR to be of importance. Implications for fostering faculty involvement, student success, and viewing UR as an institutional asset are discussed.     

高校研究生党建工作的创新性研究

随着我国教育事业的不断发展,研究生数量的不断增加,高校研究生党建工作面临着许多问题。本文提出了应对措施。通过优化高校研究生党组织的设置、丰富党建工作的形式和内容、加强党建的制度建设以及导师对学生的思想政治教育工作,促进高校研究生党建工作的顺利开展。     

Student Engagement: A CCSSE Follow-Up Study to Improve Student Engagement in a Community College

This qualitative case study at a two-year community college investigated the reasons behind a persistent gap in the college students’ engagement level in several key areas such as active and collaborative learning and student-faculty interaction as demonstrated in the longitudinal Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and the Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE) results. Using the maximal variation purposeful sampling method, 63 students participated in the study. Results suggested that students’ own perception and behaviors, faculty’s expectations and characteristics, the course characteristics, and institutional level support all played an important role in engaging students. There was a disparity between students’ high perception of the importance of engagement and low level of effort and a disparity between faculty’s perception of student engagement and students’ own perception of engagement. Community college students welcomed high expectations and high standards from their faculty and also desired more challenging courses despite all the obstacles in their lives. Discussions and recommendations for strategies to close the gap in the two disparities and, thus, improve student engagement level are provided.     

大学生学习性投入调查的理论基础及研究进展

中国大学生学习性投入调查的理论基础有6大经典理论、学生发展理论、建构主义理论、全面质量管理理论等。自美国"全国大学生学习性投入调查"被汉化后,我国出现了关于大学生学习性投入调查的系列研究成果。这些成果大体上可分为两类:一是关于NSSE工具自身及启示的研究;二是关于NSSE-China的应用研究。     

学习投入研究的知识图景及趋势——基于科学引文数据库的分析

当前学习投入研究在国际范围内显现出旺盛的学术生命和巨大的发展潜质.以科学引文数据库近四十年的英文文献为依据,使用文献计量方法分析学习投入研究的文献数量、国家地区、主要作者等分布特征,描绘国际学习投入研究的知识图景及中国学者在其中的位置和贡献,发现该领域研究热点集中在建构理论概念、探索影响机制、多元研究对象以及实证研究方法四个方面;具有融合教育心理、高等教育、教育信息技术等多学科研究的稳定知识基础.从发展趋势看,基于"全美大学生学习投入调查"的研究体系正在被重新审视,同时"行为—情感—认知"三维度心理结构已被普遍接受,目前社会文化观正在成为新的研究视角,未来"科学—技术—工程—数学"(STEM)教育中的学习投入问题将受到更高关注.     

Student Engagement and Student Learning: Testing the Linkages*

This study examines (1) the extent to which student engagement is associated with experimental and traditional measures of academic performance, (2) whether the relationships between engagement and academic performance are conditional, and (3) whether institutions differ in terms of their ability to convert student engagement into academic performance. The sample consisted of 1058 students at 14 four-year colleges and universities that completed several instruments during 2002. Many measures of student engagement were linked positively with such desirable learning outcomes as critical thinking and grades, although most of the relationships were weak in strength. The results suggest that the lowest-ability students benefit more from engagement than classmates, first-year students and seniors convert different forms of engagement into academic achievement, and certain institutions more effectively convert student engagement into higher performance on critical thinking tests. *A version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, April 2004.     

The National Survey of Student Engagement: A university-level analysis

The National Survey of Student Engagement has been administered to freshmen and seniors at colleges and universities across the USA and Canada, since the spring of 2000, to gather information about the nature and the quality of their education. After each administration, participating schools are provided with an institutional report, including results for five benchmarks of effective educational practice. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of these benchmark scores at a particular university. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis suggest that the benchmarks are not valid indicators of students’ perceptions at this school. Discussion regarding uses of national data collections for individual institutions is provided.

     

大学生学习投入的影响因素及其作用机制

采用追踪研究设计,对南京邮电大学2008级学生进行了四次追踪调查。根据相关理论并结合问卷已有的变量,提出影响学习投入的因素(预测变量)主要是:学生人口学变量(性别、来源城乡、社会经济地位、来源高中、学科),学生的认知变量(向学/厌学),学生的感知变量(归宿感、满意度)。利用多层线性模型分析技术构建了学习投入的非线性发展模型进行追踪数据分析。依次构建了无条件非线性发展模型、仅含有人口学预测变量的非线性发展模型和含有全部预测变量的非线性发展全模型,进行预测变量效应的模型检验。结果表明:第一,人口学变量中,性别、学科、城乡、高中类型以及社会经济地位五个预测变量对学习投入的影响各不相同。性别和城乡因素较学科、高中类型和社会经济地位对学习投入的影响大,只有性别、城乡和学科分别对教育经验丰富度、学业挑战度和主动合作学习的变化有影响。第二,学生认知变量(向学/厌学)和学生感知变量(归属感和满意度)对学习投入的水平和大学期间的变化均有正向促进作用。向学/厌学对学习投入的影响最大,归属感影响次之,满意度影响最小;满意度对学习投入的一次增长具有正向促进作用,归属感对学习投入的一次增长具有负向反作用,向学/厌学对学习投入不同维度的一次增长作用不同。第三,模型检验结果提示,还存在影响学习投入水平及变化的其他因素。第四,针对三类变量对学习投入水平及变化的影响机制,提出:人口学特征是认识学生学习投入的基础;学生的认知是学生学习投入的关键;学生的感知是学生学习投入的催化剂;充分利用学习投入作用机制的特点,是学校认识学习投入背后的原因,促进学生学习投入的教育策略与需要把握的原则。     

Effectiveness of the Student Success Course on Persistence,Retention, Academic Achievement,and Student Engagement

ABSTRACT

Despite a great increase in the numbers of students enrolling in higher education, specifically at community colleges, the successful completion rates for these students has remained static since the 1970s. When reviewing strategies to increase student retention and successful completion, the Student Success Course (SSC) has emerged as a promising and prominent strategy for community colleges. Given that, the purpose of this sequential mixed methods study was to determine if participation in a SSC influences persistence, retention, academic achievement, and student engagement on a community college campus. Data were collected from a purposeful sample of 197 SSC participants at a middle sized community college in southeast Texas and compared to a matched sample of 235 non-SSC participants. Twelve former SSC participants were also interviewed in an attempt to build a more empirical understanding of the impact of the SSC on student engagement and, thus, the students’ decisions to remain in college. Results of this study indicate that a relationship exists between participation in the SSC and persistence, retention, academic achievement in English and mathematics, and student engagement. Additionally, participants claim that taking the SSC not only altered their perceptions of the importance of the course, but their social and study skills as well.     

Student Engagement and Student Learning: Examining the Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Revised National Survey of Student Engagement

The present study examined the relationships between student engagement, represented by two versions of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and self-reported gains in learning. The study drew on institutional-level data from participating institutions in 2011 and 2013. The objective of the research was to compare evidence of convergence and discrimination for the two versions of NSSE using canonical correlation analysis. Results indicated that both versions of NSSE provided clear evidence of convergence in that student engagement measures were significantly and positively related to perceived gains in learning. However, only the most recent version of NSSE provided strong evidence of discrimination (i.e., differential relationships between engagement measures and self-reported learning outcomes). Thus, the revised NSSE appears to offer substantial advantages for institutions interested in more nuanced understandings of the relationships between student engagement and perceived learning outcomes. Implications for educators, with goals of enhancing student learning, and for researchers, who often compare complex sets of data, are included.     

Promoting Student Engagement Through Evidence-Based Action Research With Teachers

We present findings from a group-randomized teacher action research intervention to promote academic engagement and achievement among elementary school students. Eighteen teachers from 3 elementary schools were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. Intervention teachers studied evidence-based instructional practices that cultivate academic engagement and conducted an action research project to implement selected practices in their classrooms. Control teachers participated in a self-study group and read about evidence-based practices to promote student engagement. Teachers in the action research group reported using more group-based instruction than self-study teachers. Students with initial low engagement and low reading grades demonstrated greater gains in these outcomes in action research classrooms than self-study classrooms. Implications for teacher development and the promotion of student academic outcomes are discussed.     

An Innovative Course Featuring Action Research Integrated with Unifying Science Themes

In this article, we describe an innovative capstone course for preservice K-8 teachers integrating action research and a unifying theme in science (AAAS in Science for all Americans. Oxford University Press, New York, 1989; NRC in National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996). The goals of the capstone course are to increase student knowledge of the unifying theme, improve written communication skills, and introduce students to educational research. We provide evidence that each of these goals is met. Student growth in theme knowledge is demonstrated through concept maps, questionnaires, and previously reported assessments. Improved writing ability is demonstrated using the spelling and grammar checking feature of Microsoft Word. The analysis of action research reports demonstrates that students are able to connect their action research project results to previous research.