Examining Student Engagement in Secondary Science Classrooms Using Innovative Smartphone Technology

• In Event: Technology Integration in STEM Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Over the past decade, interest in student engagement and its connection to STEM teaching and learning has grown dramatically. This paper presents findings from a study of student engagement using the experience sampling method (ESM), a real-time survey method that prompts participants to record their activities and responses to specific questions randomly throughout the day. Piloting a new cell-phone based ESM mobile application, this study analyzes over 3,000 observations from 125 students in two high schools. Results from a two-level hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM) indicate that 1) student engagement varies widely, both within- and between-students in our sample, and 2) even after controlling for relevant covariates, males are much more likely to be engaged in their activity.

Authors

• Michael Broda, Michigan State University

• Justin Bruner, Michigan State University

• Justina L. Judy, Michigan State University