The Effect of Student-Teacher Rapport on Student Engagement

• Each class will be overtly observed by an adult researcher that will sit, uninvolved with the class.
• Students will be told that the researcher is simply a student teacher.
• All trials will take place during 1st period, on a Friday.
• The teacher will conduct class in a normal fashion.

Ethnography Procedure

• 4.1 million students entered high school this fall
• Research shows that up to 60% of students are chronically disengaged in their classrooms (McLaughlin)
• More engaged students are less likely to abuse drugs and other substances
• Previous research has showed that the more engaged a student is, the more likely they are to succeed

Background Info.

Population

1370 Students at Centennial High School currently enrolled in English Classes.

32.5% Asian

7.2% African American

51.7% White/Caucasian

8.6% Other

50% Male - 50% Female

Purpose

To find the impact of student-teacher relationships on a student's engagement in the classroom and determine whether there is a correlation between the two. Furthermore, the study will attempt to determine the specific characteristics of the relationship that have the largest effect on student engagement.

Interview Sample and Procedure

• Two randomly selected female and two randomly selected male students from each of the previously chosen classes will be interviewed.
• Students will be assured that they have done nothing wrong.
• Individually, the students will be asked several questions and encouraged to be honest.
• The teacher will be asked to leave the room during the interviews.

The Effect of Student-Teacher Rapport on Student Engagement in Classroom

Allen, J. (2013). Observations of Effective Teacher-Student Interactions in Secondary School Classrooms: Predicting Student Achievement With the Classroom Assessment Scoring System--Secondary. School Psychology Review, 42(1), 76.

Back to school statistics [Fact sheet]. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2013, from National Center for Education Statistics website: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

Basow, S. L. (2013). The Effects of Professors’ Race and Gender on Student Evaluations and Performance. College Student Journal, 47(2), 352.

Corso, M. E. (2013). Where Student, Teacher, and Content Meet: Student Engagement in the Secondary School Classroom. American Secondary Education, 41(3), 50.

Çubukçu, Z. (2012). Teachers’ Evaluation of Student-Centered Learning Environments. Education, 133(1), 49.

McLaughlin, M. (2004). Creating a Culture of Attachment. Education Week, 24(11), 34.

O'Connor, K. J. (2013). Class Participation: Promoting In-Class Student Engagement. Education, 133(3), 340.

Wentzel, K. E. (2002). Peer Relationships and Collaborative Learning as Contexts for Academic Enablers. School Psychology Review, 31(3), 366.

Bibliography

Teachers

• What is the age, sex, and race of the teacher?
• How many times did the teacher ask a question available for anybody to answer?
• How often did the teacher call on a student that was not raising their hand?
• What percentage of the time did the teacher call students by their name when calling on them?
• *Note the style of teaching performed by the teacher (lecture, written work, discussion, physical activity).

Observational Checklist

Students

• How many times did a student raise their hand to answer a question?
• How many times did a student raise their hand to ask a question?
• *Note side conversations that occurred between students.
• How many times did a student offer their own opinion without being prompted?
• How many students put their heads down?

Interview Questions

• Think about all of your classes and describe the factors that make fun classes fun, and boring classes boring.
• How does a teacher's enthusiasm for the subject influence your engagement in the class?
• What about your favorite teacher makes them your favorite teacher?
• What classes do you feel like you are learning the most in? How does the teacher keep you involved and interested?
• Discuss reasons why you might not be engaged in class?

Ethnography Sample

8 Total English Classes

• Two different English classes from each of 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.
• Variety of teachers with minimal repetition.
• Chosen based on ability to represent population demographics.

Potential Uses

• More engaging classroom settings and experiences for students to learn in
• Enhanced student engagement, causing greater academic success
• This study can provide a basis for further research regarding specific aspects of the student-teacher rapport

Research will be split into two parts:

• Overt Ethnography
• Interview

• What is the age, sex, and race of the teacher?
• How many times did the teacher ask questions directly to the class?
• What percentage of the time did a teacher acknowledge or answer a student raising their hand?
• What percentage of the time did the teacher call a student by their name?
• *Note teacher's style of teaching (Lecture, discussion, written work, physical activity).

Teacher

Ethnographic Checklist

Students

Background Info.

Previous research by Michael Corso has shown that the following all effect engagement:

• Personality of student
• Academic content
• Demographics of classmates and teacher

Yet, they do not specifically address the student-teacher rapport, and how that can effect engagement