Student Academic Engagement Rates. Final Report [microform] / Howard H. Ebmeier and Robert L. Ziomek

The overall purpose of this project was threefold: (1) to gather task descriptive data concerning engagement rates of students across grade levels, abilities, classrooms, contextual factors, subject areas and task structures; (2) to link various teacher behaviors with student engagement rates, focusing on correlational results between a number of high inference variables and engagement rates of four different student ability groups across subject areas and grade levels; and (3) to integrate these findings into several theories (the teaching learning models fo Bloom, Harnischfeger and Wiley, and Carroll) which explained or predicted the observational data. Observational data were gathered from eight schools, grades two through six, through approximately 500 full day observations spaced equally throughout a school year. Observers recorded high inference data about the teaching behaviors and low inference data concerning student engagement rates. In addition, the observations recorded the detailed sequencing of teacher activities, coupled with every third minute recordings of engagement rates of four different ability students in various activity structures, subject areas, and grouping arrangements. The dependent measures included the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, an aptitude measure for entering students, and Des Moines Public Schools subject area tests in language arts, mathematics, and social studies. (Author/PN)