Article
Staying Engaged: Knowledge and Research Needs in Student Engagement
Ming-Te Wang,
Jessica Degol,
Corresponding Author
Ming-Te Wang
University of Pittsburgh
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ming-Te Wang, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 230 South Bouquet Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; e-mail: [email protected].Search for more papers by this authorMing-Te Wang,
Jessica Degol,
Corresponding Author
Ming-Te Wang
University of Pittsburgh
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ming-Te Wang, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 230 South Bouquet Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; e-mail: [email protected].Search for more papers by this authorMing-Te Wang is with the School of Education, Learning Research and Development Center, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh. Jessica Degol is with the School of Education, University of Pittsburgh.
This project was supported by Grant DRL1315943 from the National Science Foundation and Grant DA034151-02 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institute of Health to Ming-Te Wang.
Abstract
In this article, we review knowledge about student engagement and look ahead to the future of study in this area. We begin by describing how researchers in the field define and study student engagement. In particular, we describe the levels, contexts, and dimensions that constitute the measurement of engagement, summarize the contexts that shape engagement and the outcomes that result from it, and articulate person-centered approaches for analyzing engagement. We conclude by addressing limitations to the research and providing recommendations for study. Specifically, we point to the importance of incorporating more work on how learning-related emotions, personality characteristics, prior learning experiences, shared values across contexts, and engagement in nonacademic activities influence individual differences in student engagement. We also stress the need to improve our understanding of the nuances involved in developing engagement over time by incorporating more extensive longitudinal analyses, intervention trials, research on affective neuroscience, and interactions among levels and dimensions of engagement.
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