Tool of Engagement Measurement to Propel Academic Success of Students

Graduation date: 2018Student engagement is key for learning in the classroom, and different levels of engagement have led to greater learning. The ICAP framework distinguishes these different levels of engagement by different overt behaviors, but little is known about how to measure different forms of engagement in the classroom. This article will assess the self-reported engagement of students compared to their observed engagement based on the ICAP framework. In this study, we observed 13 students in an upper level engineering thermodynamics classroom across a 10 week term, and then asked the students to take a survey based on the ICAP framework at the end of the term. We compared the overt behaviors of the students to how the students answered the survey. For different questions in the survey, the overt behaviors contributed to different expected responses. The expected responses compared to the actual responses of the students yielded correlations and discrepancies. Interviews with the students at the end of the study assisted in understanding these differences. The observed responses of the students, based on the observation of student overt behavior, typically were not consistent with the actual student responses to the survey. The behavior of the students is related to the opportunities given by the instructor to engage. Additionally, the observed students generally did what the instructor expected of them. Overall, students in the study did not have a consistent understanding of the survey questions. These questions need reassessment and their intended purpose made clearer to have a more effective survey