Student Disengagement

An abundance of research demonstrates student engagement is positively related to increased academic achievement, positive behaviors, and a sense of belonging in students so they might stay in school (Willms, Friesen, & Milton, 2009). Empirical research repeatedly supports the positive relationship between student engagement and academic performance (Carter, Reschly, Lovelace, Appleton, & Thompson, 2012). Furthermore, researchers suggest that student engagement also may offer social and personal benefits that reach beyond the classroom including interpersonal skills, social awareness, and an increased awareness of one’s own interests, skills, and values (Fredericks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004).

In a broad sense, student engagement refers

As research indicates, a growing number of students are becoming disengaged from school and learning beginning in the middle school grades. Students who are disengaged from school are bored, display higher levels of negativity, and often drop out of school. It is important for schools to ensure students are engaged in their education; doing so will aid their efforts to address problems of student boredom and alienation, disruptive behaviors, low achievement, truancy, and high dropout rates (Wang & Eccles, 2013). “We know that students who are engaged in the life of the school, engaged in their own learning, and engaged by what and how they are learning are far less likely to fall through the cracks” (Costante, 2011, p.

Active learning is enabled by students’ participation in learning experiences that involve building new knowledge and understanding. Cognitive behaviors such as focused attention, information gathering and using meta-cognitive strategies to organize experiences and solve problems are required for active learning and for student engagement in school (Ball & Perry, 2011).

Many differing opinions exist about how to accurately define student engagement. In educational settings, student engagement is the psychological investment in learning and refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, confidence, and enthusiasm that students show when they are learning (Zepke & Leach, 2010). Overall, most researchers agree student engagement is multidimensional and developmental in nature, is essential for learning, and is adaptable to various settings and situations (Carter et al.,