Since the invention of the modern school, students have continued to remain disengaged from the learning process. Many studies have shown that student engagement improves learning outcomes. More so, educators who have embraced a learner-centric approach have successfully achieved their objectives.
The benefits of engaging students in the learning process are obvious. Yet, teachers continue to struggle with this task.
Student Engagement Defined
While the student engagement buzzword has become popular more than ever, it has existed as long as education itself. Student engagement has many facets, including behavioral, cognitive, and emotional.
Behavioral engagement means students’ participation and involvement in learning activities, including
- their expression of interest through asking questions;
- showing effort and concentration;
- their ability to control their actions in the learning environment.
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Cognitive engagement is the investment of students in learning activities. It defines how far students are willing to go to get knowledge on a subject. For instance, students who turn to a paper writing service online to write my assignment or to seek mentorship on writing exhibit cognitive engagement. Hard work, readiness for challenges, and exploration of a wide range of learning strategies show a student’s investment in the process.
Emotional engagement is the attitude learners have towards the learning process. For instance, do they feel anxious, are they happy with a particular course, have they developed a sense of belonging in school, or do they dislike it?
All these constituents can be used by instructors to evaluate the students’ level of engagement and experience with the learning process.
Benefits of Student Engagement
Here is why student engagement is vital for the learning process.
Improved Performance
When students find the educational journey engaging, they are likely to develop more interest in what is being taught. Engaged students are more likely to go beyond the regular classes to gain more knowledge on a subject. For instance, they will not only rely on the information given to them for essay writing. They will look for a do my essay service and interact with experts to learn how they can sharpen their essay writing skills.
Engaging courses and classes are more likely to appeal to students and spark their interest in specific subjects. They will expend effort and focus on the learning journey. Such individuals are ready to invest in the knowledge acquisition process and have a positive attitude towards learning. Thus, engaged students will exhibit good performance and remain driven towards self-development.
High Knowledge Retention
One of the goals of the learning process is knowledge retention. However, remember that knowledge retention is a cycle that involves engagement and interaction. Educators should engage learners through genuineness, providing relevant information, and communicating clearly. This way, students interact with educational content better.
In turn, students should be able to ward off existing distractions and prioritize the information. They will only be able to understand concepts when they are actively involved by asking questions, examining, and discussing them.
Through such interactions, learners can gain a deeper understanding of a concept and retain the information longer. Provided the learners are disengaged, they will not prioritize information or dedicate time to challenge or examine it. Therefore, there is no way the information can be retained.
For students to retain knowledge, they have to be engaged behaviorally, emotionally, and mentally.
Nurtured Creativity
Engaged students are creative because their instructors get an opportunity to identify their interests and hone them.
A learner-centric curriculum provides room for integrating creativity and eliminating policies that impede it. Student engagement is also achieved through the tools that reveal learners’ creative potential.
For instance, student engagement through the introduction of passion projects allows them to work on them outside the curriculum. Classroom collaboration can also be used to increase student engagement, provided that learners can exchange ideas and explore their peers’ perspectives.
Giving students a chance to take the initiative in their learning process is a great way to reveal their hidden talents and strengths. For instance, this can be achieved through the creation of quizzes and lesson plans to share with their classmates. The more opportunities for personal growth people have, the more they engage in learning.
Reduced Dropout Rates
Student engagement can go a long way in reducing the rate of dropouts. Apart from failure and too high tuition fees, the lack of engagement is among the leading causes of attrition in schools. When student engagement is achieved, learners will remain focused, happy, and dedicated to the learning process. This will result in high performance, encouraging students to continue with the learning journey.
Conclusion
Student engagement is instrumental to maintaining the quality of education and seeing its improvement. Involved students are willing to go through the entire academic journey. They become creative and energized, exhibiting great academic performance.
Instructors should find ways to enhance student engagement for successful learning outcomes.