THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Main Article Content
Abstract
Engagement is crucial and considered a main driver contributing to student success. This paper reviews related literature on engagement conceptualization, its historical development, key theories exploring the mechanisms of engagement, factors shaping engagement, theoretical frameworks of engagement, and the impact of engagement on student achievement and learning outcomes. Literature was retrieved mainly from Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science to provide a review of aspects related to the concept of “engagement”. Results indicate that engagement is a multidimensional concept comprising multiple components. Many theories have been used to explore student engagement, including Self-Determination Theory, a widely utilized one, and Social Constructivist Theory. In higher education, within this study scope, two theoretical frameworks have been examined: educational interface and engagement interface, revealing the mechanisms and short-term and long-term impacts of engagement. One systematic review demonstrates positive relationships between engagement and academic achievement, yet in general education. Findings from this conceptual review highlight the necessity of conducting engagement research in Vietnam as well as implementing intervention measures to foster engagement among students, thereby promoting active learning and student success.
Keywords
engagement, engagement models, foundational theories of engagement, impacts of engagement on academic performance
Article Details
References
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Axelson, R. D., & Flick, A. (2010). Defining student engagement. Change, 43(1), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2011.533096
Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1997). The teacher-child relationship and children's early school adjustment. Journal of School Psychology, 35(1), 61-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(96)00029-5
Borup, J., Graham, C. R., West, R. E., Archambault, L., & Spring, K. J. (2020). Academic communities of engagement: An expansive lens for examining support structures in blended and online learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(2), 807-832
Bowden, J. L.-H., Tickle, L., & Naumann, K. (2021). The four pillars of tertiary student engagement and success: A holistic measurement approach. Studies in Higher Education, 46(6), 1207-1224. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1672647
Chi, M. T. H., & Wylie, R. (2014). The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes. Educational Psychologist, 49(4), 219-243. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2014.965823
Coates, H. (2006). Student engagement in campus-based and online education: University connections. Routledge.
Dye, C. (2019). A qualitative and quantitative inquiry into the learner engagement construct (Doctoral dissertation, University of Connecticut). University of Connecticut Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/dissertations/2403/
Finn, J. D., Pannozzo, G. M., & Achilles, C. M. (2003). The "why's" of class size: Student behavior in small classes. Review of Educational Research, 73(3), 321-368. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543073003321
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59-109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Fredricks, J. A., Filsecker, M., & Lawson, M. A. (2016). Student engagement, context, and adjustment: Addressing definitional, measurement, and methodological issues. Learning and Instruction, 43, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.02.002
Fredricks, J. A., & McColskey, W. (2012). The measurement of student engagement: A comparative analysis of various methods and student self report instruments. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 763–782). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978 1 4614 2018 7_37
Fredricks, J. A., Reschly, A. L., & Christenson, S. L. (2019). Interventions for student engagement: Overview and state of the field. In J. A. Fredricks, A. L. Reschly, & S. L. Christenson (Eds.), Handbook of student engagement interventions: Working with disengaged youth (pp. 1–11). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813413-9.00001-2
Healey, D. P. (2016). E pluribus unum: An evaluation of student engagement and learning in the college marching band (Order No. 10076306). Available from ProQuest One Academic; Social Science Premium Collection. (1778511282). Retrieved from https://go.openathens.net/redirector/wgtn.ac.nz?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/e-pluribus-unum-evaluation-student-engagement/docview/1778511282/se-2
HEFCE. (2008). Tender for a study into student engagement. Higher Education Funding Council for England Bristol.
Heilporn, G., Lakhal, S., & Bélisle, M. (2021). An examination of teachers’ strategies to foster student engagement in blended learning in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00260-3
Jang, H., Kim, E. J., & Reeve, J. (2012). Longitudinal test of self-determination theory's motivation mediation model in a naturally occurring classroom context. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1175-1188. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028089
Kahu, E. R. (2013). Framing student engagement in higher education. Studies in Higher Education , 38(5), 758-773. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.598505
Kahu, E. R., & Nelson, K. (2018). Student engagement in the educational interface: Understanding the mechanisms of student success. Higher Education research and Development, 37(1), 58-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1344197
Krause, K. L., & Coates, H. (2008). Students' engagement in first-year university. Assessment and Evaluation in Hhigher Education, 33(5), 493-505. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930701698892
Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., & Pekrun, R. (2011). Students’ emotions and academic engagement: Introduction to the special issue. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.11.004
Mandernach, B. J. (2015). Assessment of student engagement in higher education: A synthesis of literature and assessment tools. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 12(2), 1-14.
McIntyre, J. C., Worsley, J., Corcoran, R., Woods, P. H., & Bentall, R. P. (2018). Academic and non-academic predictors of student psychological distress: The role of social identity and loneliness. Journal of m=Mental Health, 27(3), 230-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2018.1437608
Nguyen, T. D. T. (2020). Sự gắn kết của SV và mối quan hệ với chất lượng cuộc sống đại học [Student engagement and its relationship with the quality of university life] [Doctoral dissertation, Ho Chi Minh University of Economics]. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
Pierson, L. H., & Connell, J. P. (1992). Effect of grade retention on self-system processes, school engagement, and academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 300-307. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.84.3.300
Reeve, J. (2013). How students create motivationally supportive learning environments for themselves: The concept of agentic engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3), 579-595. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032690
Reeve, J., & Tseng, C.-M. (2011). Agency as a fourth aspect of students’ engagement during learning activities. Contemporary educational psychology, 36(4), 257-267. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.05.002
Repetto, J., Cavanaugh, C., Wayer, N., & Liu, F. (2010). Virtual high schools: Improving outcomes for students with disabilities. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 11(2), 91.
Reschly, A. L., & Christenson, S. L. (2012). Jingle, jangle, and conceptual haziness: Evolution and future directions of the engagement construct. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp.3-19). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_1
Sharp, J. G., C., S. J., & Young, E. (2020). Academic boredom, engagement and the achievement of undergraduate students at university: A review and synthesis of relevant literature. Research Papers in Education, 35(2), 144-184. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2018.1536891
Sinclair, M. F., Christenson, S. L., Lehr, C. A., & Anderson, A. R. (2003). Facilitating student engagement: Lessons learned from check & connect longitudinal studies. The California School Psychologist, 8(1), 29-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340894
Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(4), 571.
Skinner, E. A., & Pitzer, J. R. (2012). Developmental dynamics of student engagement, coping, and everyday resilience. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 21-44). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_2
Trowler, V. (2010). Student engagement literature review. The Higher Education Academy.
Available at https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/studentengagementliteraturereview_1.pdf
Trowler, V., Allan, R. L., Bryk, J., & Din, R. R. (2022). Pathways to student engagement: Beyond triggers and mechanisms at the engagement interface. Higher Education, 84(4), 761-777. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00798-1
Trowler, V. B. A. (2017). Nomads in contested landscapes: Reframing student engagement and nontraditionality in higher education [Doctoral dissertation, University of Edinburgh]. Edinburgh Research Archive. https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/23551
Voelkl, K. E. (1997). Identification with school. American Journal of Education, 105(3), 294-318.
Wentzel, K. R., Baker, S. A., & Russell, S. L. (2012). Young adolescents' perceptions of teachers' and peers' goals as predictors of social and academic goal pursuit. Applied Psychology, 61(4), 605-633. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2012.00508.x
Wong, Z. Y., Liem, G. A. D., Chan, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2024). Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(1), 48-75. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000833
Zhoc, K. C. H., Webster, B. J., King, R. B., Li, J. C. H., & Chung, T. S. H. (2019). Higher education student engagement scale (HESES): Development and psychometric evidence. Research in Higher Education, 60(2), 219-244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-018-9510-6
Axelson, R. D., & Flick, A. (2010). Defining student engagement. Change, 43(1), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2011.533096
Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1997). The teacher-child relationship and children's early school adjustment. Journal of School Psychology, 35(1), 61-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(96)00029-5
Borup, J., Graham, C. R., West, R. E., Archambault, L., & Spring, K. J. (2020). Academic communities of engagement: An expansive lens for examining support structures in blended and online learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(2), 807-832
Bowden, J. L.-H., Tickle, L., & Naumann, K. (2021). The four pillars of tertiary student engagement and success: A holistic measurement approach. Studies in Higher Education, 46(6), 1207-1224. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1672647
Chi, M. T. H., & Wylie, R. (2014). The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes. Educational Psychologist, 49(4), 219-243. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2014.965823
Coates, H. (2006). Student engagement in campus-based and online education: University connections. Routledge.
Dye, C. (2019). A qualitative and quantitative inquiry into the learner engagement construct (Doctoral dissertation, University of Connecticut). University of Connecticut Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/dissertations/2403/
Finn, J. D., Pannozzo, G. M., & Achilles, C. M. (2003). The "why's" of class size: Student behavior in small classes. Review of Educational Research, 73(3), 321-368. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543073003321
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59-109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Fredricks, J. A., Filsecker, M., & Lawson, M. A. (2016). Student engagement, context, and adjustment: Addressing definitional, measurement, and methodological issues. Learning and Instruction, 43, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.02.002
Fredricks, J. A., & McColskey, W. (2012). The measurement of student engagement: A comparative analysis of various methods and student self report instruments. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 763–782). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978 1 4614 2018 7_37
Fredricks, J. A., Reschly, A. L., & Christenson, S. L. (2019). Interventions for student engagement: Overview and state of the field. In J. A. Fredricks, A. L. Reschly, & S. L. Christenson (Eds.), Handbook of student engagement interventions: Working with disengaged youth (pp. 1–11). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813413-9.00001-2
Healey, D. P. (2016). E pluribus unum: An evaluation of student engagement and learning in the college marching band (Order No. 10076306). Available from ProQuest One Academic; Social Science Premium Collection. (1778511282). Retrieved from https://go.openathens.net/redirector/wgtn.ac.nz?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/e-pluribus-unum-evaluation-student-engagement/docview/1778511282/se-2
HEFCE. (2008). Tender for a study into student engagement. Higher Education Funding Council for England Bristol.
Heilporn, G., Lakhal, S., & Bélisle, M. (2021). An examination of teachers’ strategies to foster student engagement in blended learning in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00260-3
Jang, H., Kim, E. J., & Reeve, J. (2012). Longitudinal test of self-determination theory's motivation mediation model in a naturally occurring classroom context. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1175-1188. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028089
Kahu, E. R. (2013). Framing student engagement in higher education. Studies in Higher Education , 38(5), 758-773. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.598505
Kahu, E. R., & Nelson, K. (2018). Student engagement in the educational interface: Understanding the mechanisms of student success. Higher Education research and Development, 37(1), 58-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1344197
Krause, K. L., & Coates, H. (2008). Students' engagement in first-year university. Assessment and Evaluation in Hhigher Education, 33(5), 493-505. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930701698892
Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., & Pekrun, R. (2011). Students’ emotions and academic engagement: Introduction to the special issue. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(1), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.11.004
Mandernach, B. J. (2015). Assessment of student engagement in higher education: A synthesis of literature and assessment tools. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 12(2), 1-14.
McIntyre, J. C., Worsley, J., Corcoran, R., Woods, P. H., & Bentall, R. P. (2018). Academic and non-academic predictors of student psychological distress: The role of social identity and loneliness. Journal of m=Mental Health, 27(3), 230-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2018.1437608
Nguyen, T. D. T. (2020). Sự gắn kết của SV và mối quan hệ với chất lượng cuộc sống đại học [Student engagement and its relationship with the quality of university life] [Doctoral dissertation, Ho Chi Minh University of Economics]. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
Pierson, L. H., & Connell, J. P. (1992). Effect of grade retention on self-system processes, school engagement, and academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 300-307. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.84.3.300
Reeve, J. (2013). How students create motivationally supportive learning environments for themselves: The concept of agentic engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3), 579-595. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032690
Reeve, J., & Tseng, C.-M. (2011). Agency as a fourth aspect of students’ engagement during learning activities. Contemporary educational psychology, 36(4), 257-267. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.05.002
Repetto, J., Cavanaugh, C., Wayer, N., & Liu, F. (2010). Virtual high schools: Improving outcomes for students with disabilities. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 11(2), 91.
Reschly, A. L., & Christenson, S. L. (2012). Jingle, jangle, and conceptual haziness: Evolution and future directions of the engagement construct. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp.3-19). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_1
Sharp, J. G., C., S. J., & Young, E. (2020). Academic boredom, engagement and the achievement of undergraduate students at university: A review and synthesis of relevant literature. Research Papers in Education, 35(2), 144-184. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2018.1536891
Sinclair, M. F., Christenson, S. L., Lehr, C. A., & Anderson, A. R. (2003). Facilitating student engagement: Lessons learned from check & connect longitudinal studies. The California School Psychologist, 8(1), 29-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340894
Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(4), 571.
Skinner, E. A., & Pitzer, J. R. (2012). Developmental dynamics of student engagement, coping, and everyday resilience. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 21-44). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_2
Trowler, V. (2010). Student engagement literature review. The Higher Education Academy.
Available at https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/studentengagementliteraturereview_1.pdf
Trowler, V., Allan, R. L., Bryk, J., & Din, R. R. (2022). Pathways to student engagement: Beyond triggers and mechanisms at the engagement interface. Higher Education, 84(4), 761-777. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00798-1
Trowler, V. B. A. (2017). Nomads in contested landscapes: Reframing student engagement and nontraditionality in higher education [Doctoral dissertation, University of Edinburgh]. Edinburgh Research Archive. https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/23551
Voelkl, K. E. (1997). Identification with school. American Journal of Education, 105(3), 294-318.
Wentzel, K. R., Baker, S. A., & Russell, S. L. (2012). Young adolescents' perceptions of teachers' and peers' goals as predictors of social and academic goal pursuit. Applied Psychology, 61(4), 605-633. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2012.00508.x
Wong, Z. Y., Liem, G. A. D., Chan, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2024). Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(1), 48-75. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000833
Zhoc, K. C. H., Webster, B. J., King, R. B., Li, J. C. H., & Chung, T. S. H. (2019). Higher education student engagement scale (HESES): Development and psychometric evidence. Research in Higher Education, 60(2), 219-244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-018-9510-6