Typology of student (dis)engagement and student achievement : a latent profile analysis in the context of classroom discussions

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that student engagement and disengagement in classroom learning are more complicated than they are assumed. However, there is little literature that examines this topic in depth. Using mixed methods, the present research identified the typology of student (dis)engagement in classroom discussion setting as well as the effect of teacher support on various learning profiles in classroom discussions and explored the relationships among different learning profiles and academic achievement. This research is composed of three studies. Study one is a pilot study (N=154) to test the reliability of two instruments. In the following main quantitative study, the typology of student (dis)engagement in classroom discussions were identified with the technique of latent profile analyses and the effect of teacher support on different levels of student learning profiles was explored. The relationships among various learning patterns in class and academic achievement were examined and reported in the last past of the main quantitative study. A total of 962 students from three secondary schools in Mainland China completed self-reported questionnaires. Six students and their mathematics teachers were interviewed face-to-face in the third study - a qualitative study. Results showed that the research framework proposed was well supported. The major analytical approaches used in this research are confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and latent profile analysis (LPA). In the main quantitative study, the self-reported survey was responded by 962 students online from three secondary schools (two public, one private) in Mainland China. The items in the questionnaires gathered data on demographic information, teacher support in classroom discussions, and student (dis)engagement in classroom discussions. Three characteristically distinct profiles of students’ engagement and disengagement in classroom discussions were obtained. The significant relationships among teacher support, student (dis)engagement profiles in classroom discussions, and students’ mathematics achievements were also examined and discussed systematically in depth. Conclusions and limitations of the present research are explained in the last chapter of this thesis.