An Exploratory Study On Student Engagement Education Essay

An Exploratory force field On assimilator Eng mountment Education Essay query on high(prenominal) schooling studies places emphasis on case studyal practices. This is especially original in a country much(prenominal) as Lebanon, which has experienced rapid growth in the repress of institutes of higher education, and, in parallel, the event of university disciples. savoury undergraduate students has been one major ara of focus since research has sightn pursue educational activities enhance the educational process and setting. Engaged students learn much material and learn it much(prenominal) effectively. Benchmarks and techniques sacrifice been established in put in to engage the dis assiduous members of a student body. Training academic dexterity and module in the argona of interlocking, and the application of engaging techniques presents institutes of higher education with newfangled possibilities for enhancing the quality of education. 116 Lebanese students effected an dispute survey in a advance study on variables which may correspond to take aims of meshwork. The study launch that sexual urge and eld at university were meaningfully colligate to higher levels of engagement.1 IntroductionAccording to Hu and Kuh 1 student engagement is the most authorized performer of higher education in terms of larn and development. They define engagement as the quality of student effort devoted to educationally meaningful activities. Their research has revealed that academic performance improves as a result of ambitious goals in the schoolroom environment. They as well as found that students indispensability to both unwrap and master challenges in and give away of the severaliseroom environment. However, a great number of students do not believe they ar being adequately challenged to collide with their academic needs. legion(predicate) students excessively report they argon not take voice in activities that ar known to be engaging.1.1 Student DisengagementResearch conducted at the University of California at Santa Barbara 2 showed an emerging culture of disengagement. This is due to several(prenominal) societal factors. Flacks and Thomas2 believe that, in an effort to accommodate higher be of students, scholastic quality has been compromised. The amount of age students spend studying and officious in on-campus activities has decreased as they spend more time working(a) and socializing off campus. Students seemed to be less prepared academically when they live college courses therefore they are unable to avail themselves of all the university experience has to press. Consequently, they are less active 3.Boyer 4 believed that higher education is increasingly a break down of the problem of student disengagement as opposed to being a part of the solution. Some institutes of higher education sport last places students are credentialed kind of wherefore fostered to address the problems of their societies. In golf-club to facilitate the cognition of engagement, academia moldiness connect the rich resource of our students to the responsibility thereof and address the social, civic, and ethical problems of well-manneredization. In doing so, the scholarship of engagement will show its worth and service to a worldwide audience 4.1.2 Engagement circulating(prenominal) research and lit show student demographics, habits and interests have changed over time 5, 6, 7. This new campus culture has led to changing student expectations as well. Students want to be challenged and they want to know that their teacher is operable to them both in and out the classroom. Students prefer instructors that motivate them to engage with classroom content 8, 9.Creating activities related to student habits would better engage students in classroom content. For example, Kuh 9 found that glide the internet was the leisure activity which demonstrated the greatest increase from 1996 until 20 01. Students in addition spent more time listening to music, and watching movies than in forward years. Institutes of higher(prenominal) Education should accommodate the needs and expectations of these new students. Emerging engineering has necessitated the inclusion of interactivity, more involvement with the teacher as facilitator, and a great emphasis on engine room as a acquisition puppet into traditional models of learning and course design. Educationally purposeful activities using info technology, such as emailing faculty or students about assignments, encouraged collaboration and increased contact with other students and faculty. Using information technology had a strong verifying blood with students overall flier of engagement. 9An engaging classroom results in students engaged with classmates, instructor, and subject content. Additionally, faculty and student interaction seems to be a significant factor of quality student engagement and satisfaction. Studies have shown a positive correlation exists surrounded by engagement pull ahead and faculty availability and access outside of class. 7, 6Hu and Kuh 1 found student engagement to be a function of the interaction of students and various institutional characteristics. Students who had more positive views of their college or university campus were more likely to have higher engagement scores 10.Kuh and Hu 11 used data from the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) database to compare undergraduate student experiences at research institutions and their counterparts in other college classifications. This study suggests that student engagement is varied among the different types of institutions. They found liberal arts colleges tended to score better in student engagement than other classifications of colleges. The variance of engaging institutions is related to the institutions foreign mission rather than classification. The belief that small, close liberal arts colleges are mor e engaging institutions was not supported by the study11. However, liberal arts colleges consistently excel in the benchmarking for faculty-student interaction. It is presumed that since classes are smaller there is greater hazard for faculty-student contact 7.Defining institutional excellence is only successful in terms of the institutions effective educational practices or processes. The most serious indicators of excellence, in the university setting, include quality and focus of instruction, faculty and peer interaction, writing experiences, and active involvement in course work. In an engaged university, the student is exceedingly involved in the culture of the institute both in and out of the classroom. Increased engagement leads to increased acquisition of knowledge, skill development, and higher student graduation (retention) rates 12.Pike and Kuh 13 compared prime(prenominal)- and second-generation college students in levels of engagement and intelligence development. O n average, first-generation college students were less engaged, and do not engage in activities associated with success in college, such as accompaniment on campus and participating in extra-curricular activities. poor levels of engagement are not related to intelligence further rather to being the first family member to attend college, financial hardships, or living at home. The groups found to be more engaged overall include students living on campus, females, minority students, and students planning to pursue advanced degrees. These students excessively reported greater perceived gains in their intellectual development and learning performance 13.Engagement literature suggests that an engaging institutional environment positively affect learning productivity. These institutions not only attempt to engage students in class, but in college life, via social and civic organizations, intramural activities, sports events, and living in the campus community. The commitment to engagi ng students should be apparent in the institutions mission, vision, and philosophy. The members of the university faculty, staff, and administration essential wee-wee an environment that engages students on campus and in the classroom 14.1.3 Teaching in the classroomIf engagement is to be fostered and encouraged in the university setting, it is important to screen the learning environment instructors create. A study by Kuh 8 found that engaged students want prompt feedback. Teacher-student kinships of respect, as opposed to friendship, were also more contributing(prenominal) to learning 6, 7, 8.One standard of teaching in institutes of higher education is lecturing. Few students possess this type of intelligence and therefore this method is not conducive to an engaging classroom environment. According to The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) annual reports students find methods, such as lecturing and logical argument taking, to be less than engaging 6, 7.Active lear ning is student learning via reading, writing, and participating in activities which apply learned concepts in an engaging air 6, 7. Engaging activities include class discussions, faculty and peer interactions, socialization in the college context, and interactive assignments 5, 6, 7.Student affect, a mental and stirred reaction toward learning, demonstrates engagement. Cues, such as student questioning or cognitive or emotional excitement of learning concepts, are examples of positive student affect. Kuh 9 found students with higher levels of affect, displayed more engaging learning behaviors. Teachers who make eye contact, use gestures and humor, and personalise examples in class stimulate higher levels of student affect. Equally important were instructors who develop engaging, active learning while communicating high standards of evaluate academic performance. 15Research14 shows teachers who are successful, as measured by student engagement in the classroom, create an interest ing and engaging learning environment. Research also revealed that outstanding teachers employ some types of strategies and methodologies. No single technique or specific delivery methodology yielded a greater number or percentage of engaged students. 14Henning 16 reported improvement in engagement when there were open classroom discussions, creative questioning, and important and relevant material. One methodology to make course content interesting and relevant is called rhetoric skill. The instructor begins with a narrative open to discussion. The instructor then elicits a more conceptual understanding of the topic as student participation increases. Students are encouraged to actively participate in debate and inquiry until they conceal the discussion. 16Similarly, Socratic questioning and responding deepens understanding of concepts that encourage student engagement. Effective teachers create a natural learning environment where students feel safe to say their opinions in a nonjudgmental, unbiased atmosphere. Engagement also increases when students work collaboratively to resolve problems. Finally, teachers who create diverse learning experiences will have more engaged and interested students overall 10.Regardless of methodology, it is important for teachers to empha size clarity and important points, use relevant examples, and speak intelligibly. To create highly engaged students, teachers must be aware of, and use, many teaching strategies. They should teach from within and become equal participants in the learning process. 172 The case of LebanonOpportunities for higher education in Lebanon today have reached levels unparalleled in Lebanese history. The first institutes of higher education in Lebanon were the American University of Beirut (formerly the Syrian Protestant College), founded in 1866 and Saint Joseph University, founded in 1875. It wasnt until 1953 that the public university, Lebanese University, was opened. 18 A private university educ ation at that time was only for the elite.After the Lebanese civil war came to an end, and the country began to stabilize, the demand for higher education began to grow. In 1996 the Ministry of Higher Education 18 set new licensing regulations for institutes of higher education. By 2000, 23 institutions (referred to as new universities) had been established. Lebanon currently boasts 41 institutes of higher education 19. These are shared out into 1 public university, 26 private universities, 7 university institutes, 3 university institutes of technology and 4 university institutes for religious studies. 18The UNESCO Institute for Statistics 20 released a set of gross registration ratios on education in Lebanon from in 2008. This shows that more and more females are continuing into higher education. By 2008, 52% of tertiary age students were in tertiary education (46-male 57-females) 20. Quantity was not the equivalent of quality, and only 7 of Lebanons universities were labeled as excellent 21.Lebanon is currently facing a restructuring in the area of higher education. In order to maintain its role as a leader of excellence in education in the put East, institutes of higher education must focus on the quality of their students as opposed to the quantity21. Quality assurance programs have become critical to Lebanese academics and educational institutes. The Trans-European Mobility Scheme for University Studies (TEMPUS) project, Quality Assurance for Higher Education in Lebanon (QAHEL) is one example. This project is to raise awareness of European models of quality in higher education among Lebanese higher education institutions. 193 The meditateThe questionnaire was established by Ahlfeldt, Mehta and Sellnow 17 in their research studies of classroom engagement. The questionnaire was proven in their research as both a valid and reliable measure of engagement with an alpha reliability of 0.84. thitherfore the researchers felt that this was an appropriate mech anism of measure for levels of engagement in MUBS classrooms.3.1Research Questions ar females more engaged than males?Are students who ego reported higher grade point averages more engaged than those with lower GPAs?Does age play a role in level of engagement?Does the level of student engagement differ according to the number of years at university?3.2 SampleThe researchers administered the questionnaire to 116 English communication skills students at The Modern University for Business and recognition (MUBS). MUBS, a new university, was established in 2000 and strives to maintain a quality oriented institute of higher education, in a highly hawkish market.In order to establish equal representation in the sample, in terms of the variables tested (gender, GPA, age and years at university), and the majors available at the university, the questionnaire was administered during English communication skills classes during the 1st week of the spring 2010 semester.MUBS doesnt offer a Engl ish as a major of study at the university. English communication skills courses are global requirements for all M.U.B.S students, regardless of major, when their address of instruction is English.4. ResultsCorrelations were run on the variables which were supposed to affect student levels of engagement. These variables were gender, self reported GPA scores, age and years at university.The relationship between gender and engagement was assessed using a paired-samples T-test. A significant relationship was found in the relationship between gender and student perceptions of engagement. On average females showed significantly greater levels of engagement, (F = 79.029, SE 1.428), than males (M= 70.407, SE 1.502), t (116) = -66.162, pIn order to assess the relationship between age and engagement, a bivariate correlation was used. There was no significant relationship between the age of students and engagement, r = -.069, p (one-tailed) .05.In order to assess the relationship between sel f reported GPAs and engagement, a bivariate correlation was used. There was no significant relationship between the self reported GPAs of students and engagement, r = -.072, p (one-tailed) .05.In order to assess the relationship between years at university and engagement, a bivariate correlation was used. There was a significant relationship between years spent at the university and engagement, r = .243, p (one-tailed) 5. ConclusionsThe research on MUBS students coincided with the literature on student engagement. Female and aged(a) students were found to be more engaged than their peers. Age and GPA showed no significant correlations to levels of student engagement. This could be true for a number of factors. branch of all women in Lebanon are slowly working to close the gender gap. Yet they may still feel they have to work double as hard as men to succeed. The other factor which may explain higher engagement among women is directly related to stressors of society. In general the re is the notion that girls cant go out as ofttimes or stay out as late as boys. Boys are allowed to be bad while girls must be angelic in behavior. These ideas may transfer over into the academic arena. With boys who dont mind achieving less since they are not held accountable. A boys will be boys mentality.In terms of superior student engagement levels, these students are not older and wiser, but rather have more university experience. They know what their teachers expect and meet those expectations readily. Seniors take part in more major courses, are assigned a ripened project, and are closer to completing their education and entering the real world. As they race towards graduation they are pushing harder to ensure they graduate on time. This includes a stipulation at the university of a minimum Accumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to graduate. Such factors may account for higher levels of engagement in senior students.One interesting factor was noted on 3 separate questionnaires from the Damour branch. 3 students added notes to their questionnaires. These notes stated that the only time they completed these activities (activities of engagement) was during English sessions. This might be beneficial to future MUBS engagement research.5. Limitations of the Study and Implications for Future ResearchThe questionnaire was administered in order to complete a preliminary study on student engagement at MUBS. In order for a total quality initiative to take place the class room questionnaire should perhaps be replaced with an NSSE questionnaire. A larger sample size should be tested.Also, Damour students take classes before 2 p.m, in the Hamra branch many courses begin after 2 and some classes continue until 7 or 8 p.m. This study does not take this into consideration.Previous studies on students have shown that the proportion of different religions at MUBS is not representative of a Lebanese sample. This is another limitation to the study.Another factor not tested fo r, but which may have affected the outcomes, is the idea of urban vs. rural student. Many of the students at MUBS live in villages and travel to university in the city and then back up to their villages in the mountains. They are country folk. This may also have skewed the results.There are also key variables the literature focuses on, and institutional characteristics which may be relevant to the MUBS study. Some of these are number of credits, branch of university, am-pm classes, first generation college student, socio-economic status, religion, choice of major and transfer students.