Student engagement: experiencing the joy of learning through Learning in depth research study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore through the lens of student engagement how engagement was experienced by students as they utilized the Learning in Depth (LiD) programme. More specifically, this study aimed to determine whether students experience joy in learning and if so, how do they experience it and when do they experience it? Two fundamental goals drove the collection of the data and subsequent data analysis. Those goals were: that participation in the LiD programme would increase student engagement, and further to that, that through increased engagement a sense of joy in learning would be experienced. The participants were from a convenience sample of 20 students in a kindergarten/ grade one class at an elementary school within school district 68. Of the 20 students fourteen were female and six were male, and all 20 consented to participating in this study. This qualitative descriptive, single case study design included the following instruments: student self-assessments/reflections, teacher observations/field notes, teacher check-ins, and a teacher interview. Verbal, physical and written/drawn data were coded for expressions of both positive and negative emotions. The general conclusions drawn support this researcher’s thesis question and hypothesis; that participation in the Learning in Depth (LiD) programme does support increased student engagement. In addition, there was also promising data to suggest that students also experience high levels of joy in learning when participating in the LiD programme. Furthermore, this data also put forward two additional outcomes that came about because of the LiD programme – a strong sense of classroom community and connectedness, as well as student pride, ownership and expertise.