ERIC Number: EJ1264866
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1354-0602
EISSN: N/A
Disrupting to Driving: Exploring Upper Primary Teachers' Perspectives on Student Engagement
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, v26 n2 p145-165 2020
While student engagement has been the subject of increasing attention in the field of education, attempts to translate research findings into practice have been hindered by a lack of clarity and consensus around the concept. It is generally agreed that teachers have an important role to play in promoting the engagement of students in classroom learning, however, little is know about how teachers think about student engagement or their experiences of engaging students in the classroom. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 upper-primary teachers to explore their perspectives on student engagement in learning. The data showed teachers described six qualitatively different forms of engagement and disengagement that vary in terms of the perceived degree of active involvement of the student. Teachers described three forms of engagement: Participating, Investing and Driving. They also described three forms of disengagement: Withdrawing, Avoiding and Disrupting. The proposed continuum offers some clarity about the range of meanings that teachers may have when using the broad terms 'engagement' and 'disengagement', and offers an alternative perspective on the concept of student engagement that might aid in future efforts to connect research with practice.
Descriptors: Learner Engagement, Elementary School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Student Relationship, Withdrawal (Psychology), Behavior Problems, Theory Practice Relationship, Teacher Role, Teacher Influence, Student Motivation, Student Participation, Correlation, Student Behavior
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A