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Abstract
How do you enjoy learning? When are you excited to learn more? Do you ever look up
the answer to a question just because you wanted to know and not because you were told to?
These are questions that need to be answered individually to best understand how to nurture
intrinsic motivation among our students. Why teach in a way, that not even you enjoy or find
motivating? I believe, engaging students is one of the most difficult tasks. This is problematic, as
learning does not occur if students are not even listening to what you have to share, or even
participating in the learning experiences. Therefore, the purpose of this action research is to
investigate how incorporating more teaching strategies and techniques can improve student
engagement, in turn motivating students to learn. Teaching strategies examined throughout the
action research project will include: providing opportunities for students to socially interact with
others about academic content, providing structured opportunities for students to choose how to
go about their learning, and providing opportunities for students to think creatively to improve
student engagement in the classroom.
Literature Review
Awww, man, followed by the heavy sighs is all too familiar to educators. As a teacher,
I understand the desire for students to be excited, maybe even jump up and down from joy about
a new learning experience. I am a strong believer that motivation plays a central role in learning.
Ill even tap my shoes. The goal is to nurture intrinsic motivation in students. Therefore, the
following literature review attempts to demonstrate how incorporating more teaching strategies
and techniques can improve student engagement. Teaching strategies examined throughout the
literature review include, providing opportunities for students to socially interact with others
about academic content, providing structured opportunities for students to choose how to go
about their learning, and providing opportunities for students to think creatively to improve
student engagement in the classroom.
Engaging Students through Collaborative Opportunities
The goal is to nurture intrinsic motivation in students. Social interactions among students
are extremely important in helping support students engagement. According to researcher and
author of Listening to the Voices of Boys: Exploring the Motivation of Primary Boys to Engage
in Reading, Krista Griffin (2016), collaboration was defined as the social discourse among
students in a learning community that enable them to see perspectives and to socially construct
knowledge from text (p. 7). Listening, engaging, and reflecting on various perspectives during
collaborative group work is essential to learning big ideas and mastering curriculum content. In
turn, students with mastery or learning goal orientations tend to be intrinsically motivated and
more engaged in the learning process (Griffin, 2016).
Although collaboration among students is a motivational factor in increasing whole-class
engagement, it is important to prepare structured and collaborative learning activities where each
student has the opportunity to engage. Without these strategies, group-work tends to digress into
one student completing the entire task alone. In other words, for collaboration to work, there
needs to be structure. According to educator Pamela Chapman and researcher Thomas Roberts
(2015), students need to be assigned roles with accompanying responsibilities. This ensures that
all participants have a meaningful way to contribute towards tasks, valuing each group members
contributions towards completion. In addition to engagement in the classroom, meaningful
collaboration aids in improving the classroom culture, increasing active learning, developing
accountable talk, and empowering students to take ownership in the learning (Chapman &
Roberts, 2015, p. 30).
Theorist Lev Vygotsky was an advocate for collaboration as a means for learning and
mastery. He proposed that learning was to be accomplished through experiences first based on a
social level and later, on the individual level (Griffin, 2016). Students who are learning through
structured, collaborative based activities not only be engage in the classroom as they actively
collaborate with one another, but their experiences are stored and saved into their long term
memory. Educational consultant Patti Drapeau, author of Sparking Student Creativity: Practical
Ways to Promote Innovative Thinking and Problem Solving (2014), explained this phenomena of
long-term memory storage as, the more senses you use when you learn, the more the learning
goes into long-term memory (p. 22). In other words, different experiences and encounters of the
same content, such as collaboration and arts integrated lessons, the more likely it will be stored
in the long-term memory.
Griffins (2015) study suggested taking notes and answering the following questions
during observation of student collaboration to provide evidence of students level of engagement
in the classroom.
motivating than closed tasks, where students had little control and few choices (Marinak, 2013).
Open tasks can be summarized with what professor and chair of the Education Department at
Mount St. Marys University, Barbara A. Marinak, called The Six Cs: Choice, Challenge,
Control, Collaboration, Constructive, Comprehension, and Consequences (2013).
In one study, one fifth-grade classroom teacher implemented a simple motivation
intervention using topic choice. Students depicted a higher level of engagement when given the
simple opportunity to choose the teacher read-aloud. Teacher and students would book-talk
every title, followed by a vote in three days to choose the book to be read. In addition to book
lobbying, analysis report students listen attentively during the book talks and browsed the book
basket frequently during the 3 day leading up to the vote (Marinak, 2013).
However, it should also be noted that the study concluded that merely offering choice is
not motivating by itself. In order for choice to be motivating, it has to be aligned to students
needs, interests, goals, abilities, and cultural background (Katz & Assor, 2007). Therefore, topicchoice and response-format choice are reliable forms for strengthening student engagement,
leading to strong student motivation. An example of one of these forms of an action choice is
how to allocate time for a stronger impact on student motivation. Option choices, such as which
puzzle to solve, have less of an impact on student motivation. Students are more engaged in
learning when given the opportunity to decide what and how they are interested in learning.
The belief that choice can be effectively used to engage students in the classroom to
become motivated learners was supported by a survey in which 500 boys were asked to explain
what they wished they were allowed to do in the classroom, in terms of writing (Senn, 2012).
The responses received, such as create our own topic, choose, and write whatever we
want, supported the importance of choice to strengthen student engagement and intrinsic
motivation (Senn, 2012, p. 218). Allowing students to choose the topics they write about,
develops a sense of ownership over their learning, which in turn develops greater intrinsic
motivation.
Although the context for many of the studies to do with structured collaborative and
choice opportunities has a role in engaging students in literacy, strategies are effectively
transferable to other subjects: similar to art and its positive effects in other subjects.
roam the halls. After a new principal decided to replace the guard with art, dace, and music
teachers, the school ranked among top two percent in Boston in student improvement (Cooper,
2015). The study provided data on how the arts can not only improve a classroom, but also an
entire schools mindset, motivation to do better, and level of engagement in learning.
An example of some visual thinking strategies that can be used in the classroom to
promote a positive and engaging learning experience is to introduce an artwork related to the unit
theme before beginning the lesson. Students will connect to literacy elements, without even
noticing by pondering the setting or what the main character is thinking, Students become
engaged by connecting to the artworks feeling, overall tone, or message. The result of the study
found that arts integration resulted in higher test scores, civic engagement, and planning for
college (Cooper, 2015).
Conclusion
In summary, this literature review shows that teachers can support student engagement
and intrinsic motivation by incorporating structured opportunity for collaboration, choice, and art
integration in the classroom. All students can learn, and through collaboration, choice, and art
integration we can engage more students to become motivated to learn!
10
SOURCE #1
SOURCE #2
SOURCE #3
Video Data
Student Journal
Semantic Differential
Teacher will be
focusing on disengaged
students. Students will
be video taped to
observe student
behavior and
engagement level.
Teacher will record
students participation
and engagement during
collaborative
discussions.
Writing in daily
journals will be used as
part of assessment
system.
Students will write
response to questions on
their experiences with
peers and the level of
motivation felt.
Students will be able to
reference opportunities
they have been given
related peer
collaboration.
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Semantic Differential
Student Journals
Student Survey
Post intervention:
students will be asked
to rate the curriculum in
terms of whether it was
exciting or boring,
relevant or irrelevant,
or enjoyable or not
enjoyable
2.
Would giving
students the
option to choose
have an impact
on their level of
participation?
[Material that
they find
personally
meaningful]
11
Appendix B
Appendix D
Semantic Differential
Document/ Artifacts/
Student work Samples
Video Data
Post intervention
documents of student
work will be collected
to assess student work
completion in arts
integrated lessons.
Teacher will be
focusing on disengaged
students. Students will
be video taped
throughout arts
integrated lessons to
observe student
behavior and
engagement level.
Teacher will record
students participation
and engagement during
art-related activities.
Appendix C
Appendix E
Appendix A
3.
Would students
be more
motivated in
lessons in which
the arts were
integrated?
12
SOURCE #1
SOURCE #2
SOURCE #3
Video Data
Student Journal
Semantic Differential
Appendix B
Appendix C
Semantic Differential
Student Journals
Student Survey
Collaboration
Appendix A
2.
Choice
13
terms of whether it is
exciting or boring,
relevant or irrelevant,
or enjoyable or not
enjoyable to calculate
the average student
motivational levels.
Defined descriptive
statistics of the mode
will be used to interpret
the data. Teacher will
calculate the mode to
identify which
category/ theme attracts
students to be most
engaged.
themes. Student
journals will be used to
identify similar
categories to look for
any emerging patterns.
A concept map will be
used to better identify
information into
patterns. Student
journals will help in
identifying factors
affecting student
engagement and level
of motivation.
to identify student
behavior. Teacher will
code the information
from the questions into
themes. Concept map
will be used to identify
factors affecting
students engagement
such as choice
opportunities,
strategies, and interests
throughout the unit.
Appendix C
Appendix B
Appendix D
Semantic Differential
Document/ Artifacts/
Video Data
Student work Samples
Quantitative rating
scale pre- and post
intervention scale
statistics will be used to
describe students
engagement and
motivation. Students
rating the learning
process in terms of
whether it was exciting
or boring, relevant or
irrelevant, or enjoyable
or not enjoyable.
Teacher will use the
calculated mean to
students excitement,
relevance to content,
level of engagement,
and motivation during
arts integrated lessons.
If the mean is low,
raising questions will
extend the analysis.
3.
Arts Integration
Appendix E
Appendix A
14
15
Timeline
Week One and Two: Ready, Set, Go!
Review and become familiar with student collaboration, student choice, and arts
integration strategies.
Create and collect all Data Collection Tools. Make sure all technology and materials
are ready to begin!
Week Three and Four: Start Video, Student Sample, and Checklist
Administer and collect student semantic differential surveys in regards to lessons that
incorporate student collaborative opportunities and arts integrated lessons.
16
Administer student journal prompts after lessons that will incorporate student
collaborative and choice opportunities.
Administer and collect post-intervention student surveys in regards to students topicchoice and response-format choice.
Code and categorize all data results into themes using concept maps.
Measure data results from pre and post surveys. Assess student growth and overall
value.
17
18
References
Chapman, P. & Roberts, T. (2015). Collaboration by design: Encouraging positive interactions
through engaging tasks. Children's Technology and Engineering. 28-31.
Cooper, A. (2015). The art of success: An innovative program shows how arts integration can
increase engagement and improve learning.
Griffin, K. (2016). Listening to the Voices of Boys: Exploring the motivation of Primary Boys to
Engage in Reading.
Ktaz, I. & Assor, A. (2007). When choice motivates and when it does not. Educational
Psychology Review,19(4), 429-442.
Lane, L. K., Royer, J. D., Messenger, L. M., Common, A. E., Ennis, P. R., & Swogger D. E.,
(2015).Empowering teacher with low-intensity strategies to support academic
engagement: Implementation and effects of instructional choice for elementary students
in inclusive settings. Education and Treatment of Children, 38(4), 473-504.
Marinak, A. B. (2013). Courageous reading instruction: The effects of an elementary motivation
intervention.
Robinsons, A. H. (2013). Arts integration and the success of disadvantaged students: A research
evaluation. Arts Education and Policy Review, 114(4), 191-204.
Senn, N. (2012). Effective approaches to motivate and engage reluctant boys in literacy. The
Reading Teacher, International Reading Association. 66(3), 211220.
Student Name
Participated __________ times
Participated __________ times
Participated __________ times.
Participated __________ times.
Participated __________ times.
Participated __________ times.
Participated __________ times.
Participated __________ times.
Collaboration
Opportunities
Arts Integrated
Lessons
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
On Task
Semi-On Task
Off-Task
19
Appendix B
Student Journal
Please write a reflective journal entry that answers the following questions. Be detailed and
descriptive when you write.
1. Give a specific example of what you found exciting to do during the _______ lesson?
2. What would you wish to do when learning?
3. How do you like to learn? What makes learning fun for you?
20
Appendix C
Survey
Name: _________________________________
Date: ______________________
Please answer the following statements by circling the number that most reflects your
opinion.
-2
-1
-2
-1
-2
-1
I feel
-2
-1
21
22
Appendix D
Name: _________________________________
Date: ______________________
Student Survey
Lets make learning fun! To do so I need to learn more about you and your preferences.
Please answer the following questions.
1. Throughout this unit, what would you be interested in learning about?
2. D you like the opportunity to choose different options during the unit? Why or why not?
Appendix E
Document/ Artifacts/ Student work Samples
Student observation throughout arts integrated lessons.
Student Name: ________________________________
Date
Work
Completed
Meets
Objective
Observations
23