Student situational engagement and its associations with regard for adolescent perspectives, productivity, and instructional learning formats in the classroom

Abstract

Teacher–student interactions are considered to influence student engagement. As such, building on the teaching through interaction framework, this study presents an investigation of specific features of teacher–student interactions (regard for adolescent perspectives, productivity, and instructional learning formats) and their association with student engagement in a particular lesson. The sample consisted of 404 8th–10th grade students from 18 classrooms. The data comprised 87 videorecorded lessons, divided into 216 observation cycles, coded using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System – Secondary observational instrument. Additionally, the students’ self-reports of their situational engagement were collected using the web-based In Situations (InSitu) instrument at the end of six separate lessons. The data were analysed with cross-classified multilevel structural equation modelling, with engagement ratings cross-classified by students and lessons. In line with the study hypothesis, the results revealed positive associations between situational engagement and the two dimensions of regard for adolescent perspectives and instructional learning formats, yet there were unexpected negative associations with productivity.