In the last school year, my department and I conducted action research on engagement. The participants were all 8th and 9th grade students. Our research questions were the following:
- According to our teachers, in what ways, if any, do the teacher’s instructional choices impact student engagement?
- According to our students, in what ways, if any do the teacher’s instructional choices impact their engagement?
We administered a survey which asked about their relationship with their teacher, what kinds of activities they found interesting or disinteresting, and what classes they liked the best and why.
The results of the study showed that students found the world languages classes engaging. We use C.I. as a methodology. One of the primary reasons that students felt they were engaged was the relationship to the teacher. Many students said that they had a good relationship and that made them care about the class.
Students also commented that they enjoyed group work and games the most. They liked to be able to choose their groups instead of being randomly assigned. The games they liked were Gimkit, Blooket, and Kahoot. Gimkit did not have any negative feedback, but Blooket and Kahoot had their detractors. Students also liked to be interactive and move a lot.
The things they didn’t like was the teacher talking too much or having to read and write a lot. In a language class, students are going to have to read and write, but it is important to be strategic. Introduce compelling stories for them to read or listen to. That will help them acquire the language more.
As a result of the action research, I am expanding research into engagement in world languages as my dissertation topic. I will use the action research as a pilot study. I will write more in the future on the blog about engagement.