Hi all
i was wondering if anyone knew of a valid and reliable assessment of task-based engagement that could be used to compare student engagement across different types of tasks in mathematics?
thanks
James
Hi James,
An important area to investigate. I was unable to recall any particular works but wish others may help.
All the very best,
Vesife
To measure it correctly, you should use a mixed methodology. This is the only way to receive valid results.
Hello James,
Here are a few suggestions.
How about Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) by Pintrich et al. (1991). It includes scales for cognitive engagement. Sample items: “When I study for this class, I try to put together the information from class and from the book” and “I often find that I have to reread material several times to understand it.” The scale has been adapted for different subjects including mathematics.
There is Engagement vs. Disaffection with Learning (EvsD) by Skinner et al. (2009). It measures both behavioural and emotional engagement, along with disaffection (i.e., withdrawal and disengagement). Example items: Engagement: "When we work on something in class, I get involved."; Disaffection: "When I’m in class, I think about other things."
Academic Engagement Scale by Reeve & Tseng (2011) assess four dimensions of student engagement: behavioural, emotional, cognitive, and agentic. Example items: Behavioural: "I try hard to do well in this class."; Emotional: "I enjoy learning new things in this class."; Cognitive: "When I study, I try to understand the material better."; Agentic: "I ask the teacher questions when I don’t understand."
Classroom Engagement Inventory (CEI) by Wang et al. (2014). This inventory scale assesses different dimensions of student engagement, including cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and social engagement. Example items: Cognitive: "I try to connect what I am learning to things I have learned before."; Behavioural: "I pay attention in class."; Emotional: "I feel happy when I am in class." It’s a bit more tuned to the classroom setting.
A slightly different tack may be looking at how immersed they are in the task; sometimes referred to as “flow”. The Flow State Scale (FSS) by Jackson and Marsh (1996) measures student “flow”. Flow is associated with deep cognitive engagement and intrinsic motivation. Some example items: "I feel just the right amount of challenge." and “I am completely focused on the task at hand." While originally developed for sports and physical activities, the FSS has been adapted for educational settings and can be used to assess engagement in challenging mathematics tasks.
These are a bit general for learning tasks. I’m not sure, but you might be looking at comparing different approaches to teaching mathematics in a classroom. In which case you might prefer something more task-specific in the measure (?). How about some of these:
There is Mathematics Engagement Instrument (MEI) by Wang et al. (2016) which deals with different aspects of student engagement in mathematics tasks. It includes scales for behavioural, emotional, and cognitive engagement more tailored to mathematics activities.
Example items: Behavioral Engagement: "I try to understand the mathematics problems even when they are hard."; Emotional Engagement: "I feel happy when I solve a math problem."; Cognitive Engagement: "I put a lot of effort into learning the math material."
The Task Engagement Survey (TES) by Sinatra et al. (2015) really zeroes in on the specified task. It assesses how deeply students are involved in the task, how much effort they exert, and how interested they are in the task. Example items: "I found this task interesting."; "I worked hard to complete the task."; "I was fully engaged while working on this task." This might be useful to compare engagement across different activities or instructional strategies.
The Task Motivation and Engagement Scale (TMES) was developed by Martin et al. (2017) to assess students’ motivation and engagement in specific academic tasks. It includes items on effort, persistence, task absorption, and emotional engagement specific to a task. Example items: "I tried to do my best on this task."; "I kept working even when the task was difficult."; "I enjoyed working on this task." This scale can be used to compare student engagement across different mathematics tasks or teaching methods within the classroom.
In the same vein, the Task-Specific Engagement Measure (TSEM) by Scherer et al. (2016) is a scale developed to measure engagement specifically in learning tasks. Example items: "I felt interested in the task I was doing."; "I focused hard on solving the task."; "I felt absorbed in the task." The TSEM is particularly relevant for mathematics education, where different types of tasks (e.g., problem-solving, conceptual understanding, procedural fluency) require different levels of engagement.
I hope these are helpful to your research.
Kind regards,
Tim
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