Micro-Models of Student Engagement: A Bottom-Up Approach to Learner Modeling

• In Event: The Influence of Digital Tools on Literacy, Learning Engagement, and Student Development

Abstract

This study explores micro-models of student disengagement in a digital reading and listening app for elementary students. We compared several models based on response times to questions and delays between tasks. These models were validated using measures of response accuracy, on-task reading behavior, and book preferences. Results showed varying effectiveness among the models, with some demonstrating significant differences between engaged and disengaged states. The study serves as a foundation for developing more comprehensive engagement models that can capture the multifaceted nature of student engagement and potentially inform real-time interventions while maintaining interpretability and theoretical grounding.

Authors

• Juan Daniel Pinto, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Caitlin Tenison, ETS

• Blair Lehman, Brighter Research

• Beata Beigman Kelbanov, Educational Testing Service

• Diego Zapata-Rivera, ETS