As I continue to explore the literature on engaged and participatory learning in elementary schools, I am continuously finding new ways to elaborate and deepen my understanding of these concepts. Skinner, Kindermann, and Furrer (2009) highlighted and explained the difference between emotional engagement and behavioral engagement. Until this point, I have been more focused on physical engagement with learning, such as having the confidence to raise one’s hand, asking for help in class, and body language. Engagement with learning can be shown in much subtler ways. How do students respond to the statements “I try hard to do well in school,” concerning behavioural engagement, or “I enjoy learning new things in class,” which relates to emotional engagement (Skinner, Kindermann, & Furrer, 2009, p. 519-520). These are two very different to examine engagement than what I have previously been exploring. Differentiating between these two types of engagement is important because, although they are distinct from one another, they are also quite dependent on one another.

At the other end of the engagement spectrum is what Skinner, Kindermann, and Furrer (2009) describe as “disaffection” (p. 495). A student demonstrating behavioural disaffection would identify with the statement “In class, I do just enough to get by” and a student displaying emotional disaffection would relate to the statement “When I’m in class I feel bad” (Skinner, Kindermann, and Furrer, 2009, p. 520). Their research presented two very interesting findings in regards to the types of engagement and disaffection. “Students reported that they were more behaviourally engaged than teachers judged them to be, and teachers underestimated student emotional disaffection relative to students’ actual feelings” (Skinner, Kindermann, and Furrer, 2009, p. 517). I find the first conclusion regarding behavioural engagement quite interesting. I feel that this applies to those quiet participants in a classroom. It also goes against what I was expecting to uncover in throughout my inquiry process in regards to participatory learning. Until this point, I had been looking for ways to break students out of their shells so that I, as the teacher, can see that they are actively participating in their learning, but what if the student believes he or she is participating and is enjoying the work, but it is not blatantly obvious. Is it the teacher’s responsibility to create extroverted, outgoing, and active learners? Active, yes. Extroverted and outgoing? Maybe not. The students mentioned in the study believed themselves to be more engaged than the teachers were perceiving them to be. I do think educators should push students to be their best possible selves, but after reading this article, it is clear that that is different for each student. Ultimately, learning is the goal, and if a student chooses to do that quietly and more independently, maybe that is okay too. Students need to feel safe with their learning environment and also aware that the support will be there when they begin to reach new and unfamiliar territory. Being engaged and participating in learning looks different from student to student, and students should feel safe and comfortable with how they choose to learn.

Source: Skinner, E. A., Kindermann, T. A., & Furrer, C. J. (2009;2008;). A motivational perspective on engagement and disaffection: Conceptualization and assessment of children’s behavioral and emotional participation in academic activities in the classroom. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 69(3), 493-525.