Development and validation of a survey measuring student engagement in an active learning classroom

Students Know What Students Want
Alison Crowe from the University of Washington presented research on how she has been able to craft an assessment measuring student engagement. To understand student engagement, there are three aspects that must be considered: behavioral (are students on task), cognitive (what is the student's intellectual effort) and affective (what is the student's personal/emotional investment). These aspects are of particular research interest in active learning settings. Impacting these aspects are three interdependent variables (sociocultural factors, interest and task value) that must also impact student engagement and ultimately performance.
Hypothesis: If elements of interest and willingness can be identified, then an assessment developed around those elements can measure student engagement.
Phase 1 of Crowe's study used student focus groups to identify what influences student interest and willingness. The major themes from the focus groups included personal effort, value of activity, group effectiveness and instructor contribution. Phase 2 developed questions based on these themes and vetted the questions with other students. After multiple rounds of revision, a bodacious questionnaire full of open-ended questions was produced in phase 3 and administered to even more students. The responses to the questionnaire were analyzed for correlation and exploratory factors. The value of this student engagement assessment is in the ability to compare the implementation of different instances of active learning. Using this tool, it is possible to determine which active learning techniques are the most effective in engaging students.