Student Engagement Through Discussion and Debate

• In Event: Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session 1

Abstract

This paper examines student engagement in curricular topics that were designed to appeal to urban youth in upper elementary and middle school grades. The sample (n=415) includes fourth grade students from four urban school districts. In this research using the Catalyzing Comprehension through Discussion and Debate (CCDD) Word Generation curriculum, I am interested in exploring the relationship between relevance of content and classroom engagement, and more specifically, what the students’ responses reveal about their interest in the unit topic as well as their desire to participate in classroom discussions. The results suggest that students are more engaged with the topics they can relate to their lives. Additionally, results suggest that students who show higher engagement, on average, learn more academic words.

Author

• Maung Nyeu, Harvard University