Secondary teachers’ conceptions of student engagement: Engagement in learning or in schooling?

Teacher actions can influence how students engage at school, making it relevant to understand their conceptions of student engagement and how to facilitate it. Reviews of existing literature suggested that a distinction between engagement in schooling and engagement in learning might help differentiate between social and academic outcomes.Data from a phenomenographic study of 20 Australian teachers were analysed to show how teacher thinking related to this distinction. While some teachers held complex conceptions centred on promoting cognitive engagement and student learning, others aligned with engagement in schooling, focusing on generating participation and emphasising positive student affective experiences.

Research highlights► Proposes a distinction between student engagement in schooling and engagement in learning based on literature and empirical results; ► Includes data from a phenomenographic study of 20 Australian teachers’ conceptions of student engagement; ► Foregrounds the need to re-examine the concept of student engagement in reference to its intended outcomes.