Engagement Culture at LAK24
Time to Read and Watch Video: <6 Minutes
The Engagement Culture construct will be among those presented at the New Measures and Metrics in Education Workshop at LAK24 in Kyoto next week. The goal of the session is to "strengthen the development and utilization of measurement tools from the learning analytics community."
Why It Matters: Schools need systemwide indicators to guide intervention decisions, specifically focused on alterable variables (Reschly & Christenson, 2012) to systemically grow student engagement (Fredricks, Reschly, & Christenson, 2019).
From the Application
What is your measure/metric called?Engagement Culture
Tell us a little about your measure/metric.
The Engagement Culture construct, though latent, is discerned through a set of key variables. These variables encapsulate systemic indicators of intrinsic motivation, overall satisfaction, minimal dissatisfaction, and minimal coercion; were informed by Herzberg’s (1974, 2011) research; and use data already collected by local education agencies. The aim is to identify nuanced cultural qualities that, though not directly observable, play a pivotal role in shaping academic performance.
Since student engagement is recognized as the result of intrinsic motivation (M.-T. Wang & Degol, 2014) and cannot be coerced (Schlechty, 2011; Senge, 2006), cultures that value coercion foster compliance at best and potentially noncompliance, apathy, and disengagement. Schools that value positive coercion may positively affect academic performance measures, but those that prioritize intrinsic motivation foster true engagement (Schlechty, 2011; Senge, 2006).
Through statistical analysis of data drawn from high-poverty campuses, we have found that the Engagement Culture construct explains academic growth in these challenging contexts. This research focuses on deciphering and enhancing the underlying dynamics that influence educational outcomes. We presented our study at the AERA Annual Conference in 2023, highlighting the significance of intrinsic motivation and overall satisfaction as essential components of a positive engagement culture.
What problem does your measure/metric solve?
Even though “culture” is frequently cited as a driver of student outcomes, what is meant by culture and how schools should shape it to manifest improved academic performance is problematic. Schools need systemwide indicators to guide intervention decisions, specifically focused on alterable variables (Reschly & Christenson, 2012) to systemically grow student engagement (Fredricks, Reschly, & Christenson, 2019).
Who will be using it?
Engagement culture has implications for educators at all levels, from the classroom to state and federal legislators—anyone who is interested in improving outcomes for students. This includes teachers, students, parents, employers, community members, and administrators.
Presentation
In an effort to communicate the importance of systemic engagement, I took a unique approach on the video presentation.